to put (something) on or in, as a burden, load, or cargo; load.
2.
to load oppressively; burden (used chiefly in the passive): laden with many responsibilities.
3.
to fill or cover abundantly (used chiefly in the passive): trees laden with fruit; a man laden with honors.
4.
to lift or throw in or out, as a fluid, with a ladle or other utensil.
verb (used without object)
5.
to take on a load.
6.
to lade a liquid.
Origin: before 900; Middle English laden,Old English hladan to load, draw up (water); cognate with Dutch laden,German laden,Old Norse hlatha to load. Compare ladle
O.E. hladan (past tense hlod, pp. gehladen) "to load, heap" (the general Gmc. sense), also "to draw water" (a meaning peculiar to Eng.), from P.Gmc. *khlad- (cf. O.N. hlaða, O.Fris. hlada, O.H.G. hladen, Ger. laden), from PIE *klat- (cf. Lith. kloti "to spread," O.C.S. klado "to set, place").