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onus - 4 dictionary results

o⋅nus

  [oh-nuhs]
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–noun, plural o⋅nus⋅es.
1. a difficult or disagreeable obligation, task, burden, etc.
2. burden of proof. Compare onus probandi.
3. blame or responsibility.
Origin:
1630–40; < L: load, burden

Synonyms:
1. responsibility, weight, duty, load.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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o·nus   (ō'nəs)   
n.  
  1. A difficult or disagreeable responsibility or necessity; a burden or obligation.
    1. A stigma.
    2. Blame.
  3. The burden of proof: The onus was on the defense attorney.

[Latin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Onus

O"nus\, n. [L.] A burden; an obligation.

Onus probandi[L.], obligation to furnish evidence to prove a thing; the burden of proof.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : onus
Spanish: responsabilidad,
German: die Last,
Japanese: 責任
More Translations »

onus 
c.1640, from L. onus (gen. oneris) "load, burden." Hence legal L. onus probandi (1722), lit. "burden of proving."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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