burden
/ˈbɝdn̩/noun, verb
A load, responsibility, or source of worry
From Proto-Indo-European, through Proto-Germanic, Old English, and Middle English burden (A load or something carried).
Lineage
Selected stage
Modern English
burden — A load, responsibility, or source of worry
The story
A burden is first of all something carried, and the word’s history preserves that physical image. English inherited it through Middle English birthene and Old English byrden, ultimately from Proto-Germanic burþį̄ and the Proto-Indo-European root bʰer-, “to carry, bear.” The Middle English word could mean a load or bundle, but also a troublesome emotion or responsibility. Over time, that figurative sense became familiar: a burden could be an obligation, a worry, or anything oppressive. The word also developed specialized uses for cargo capacity, quantities of materials, and measured loads.
Words from the same roots
burden · Proto-Indo-European, through Proto-Germanic, Old English, and Middle English, ‘A load or something carried; figuratively, a responsibility or worry’
Derivedbear, burdensome, burdened, unburden, overburden