Definition of burden

The word "burden" has its roots in Old English, with the cognate "byrd" or "byrd-geþance" meaning "load" or "weight". This term was often used in a physical sense, describing a heavy weight or load that needed to be carried. Over time, the meaning of the word expanded to encompass emotional or metaphorical burdens, such as a heavy responsibility or a weighty concern. In Middle English, around the 13th century, the word changed to "burthen", and by the 16th century, it had evolved into the modern word "burden" we use today. Today, the word can convey a sense of oppression, hardship, or weightiness, and is often used in idiomatic expressions such as "a heavy burden to bear" or "lifting the burden off one's shoulders".