burden: There are two distinct words burden in English. By far the older, ‘load’, comes from Old English byrthen. Like bear, birth, bairn, bier, barrow, and berth it goes back ultimately to an Indo-European base *bher-, which signified both ‘carry’ and ‘give birth’. Its immediate Germanic ancestor was *burthi-, which also gave German bürde ‘load’. The other burden, ‘refrain’, and hence ‘main theme’, is an alteration of an earlier bourdon [14], which was borrowed from Old French bourdon ‘bass pipe’. => bairn, barrow, bear, berth, bier, birth
"a load," Old English byrðen "a load, weight, charge, duty;" also "a child;" from Proto-Germanic *burthinjo- "that which is borne" (cognates: Old Norse byrðr, Old Saxon burthinnia, German bürde, Gothic baurþei), from PIE root *bher- (1) "to bear, to carry; give birth" (see infer).
The shift from -th- to -d- took place beginning 12c. (compare murder (n.), rudder). Archaic burthen is occasionally retained for the specific sense of "capacity of a ship." Burden of proof is recorded from 1590s.
"leading idea," 1640s, a figurative use from earlier sense "refrain or chorus of a song," 1590s, originally "bass accompaniment to music" (late 14c.), from Old French bordon "bumble-bee, drone," or directly from Medieval Latin burdonom "drone, drone bass" (source of French bourdon, Spanish bordon, Portuguese bordão, Italian bordone), of echoic origin.
双语例句
1. I wouldn't call it a burden; I call it a responsibility.
我不觉得这是负担；我觉得它是一种责任。
来自柯林斯例句
2. The developing countries bear the burden of an enormous external debt.
发展中国家背负着巨额外债。
来自柯林斯例句
3. A vastly disproportionate burden falls on women for child care.
照料孩子的重担落在了女性身上。
来自柯林斯例句
4. Her death will be an impossible burden on Paul.
她的去世将给保罗带来难以承受的打击。
来自柯林斯例句
5. His business empire collapsed under a massive burden of debt.
