1. (n.) That which is borne or carried; a load.

2. (n.) That which is borne with labor or difficulty; that which is grievous, wearisome, or oppressive.

3. (n.) The capacity of a vessel, or the weight of cargo that she will carry; as, a ship of a hundred tons burden.

4. (n.) The tops or heads of stream-work which lie over the stream of tin.

5. (n.) The proportion of ore and flux to fuel, in the charge of a blast furnace.

6. (n.) A fixed quantity of certain commodities; as, a burden of gad steel, 120 pounds.

7. (n.) A birth.

8. (v. t.) To encumber with weight (literal or figurative); to lay a heavy load upon; to load.

9. (v. t.) To oppress with anything grievous or trying; to overload; as, to burden a nation with taxes.

10. (v. t.) To impose, as a load or burden; to lay or place as a burden (something heavy or objectionable).

11. (n.) The verse repeated in a song, or the return of the theme at the end of each stanza; the chorus; refrain. Hence: That which is often repeated or which is dwelt upon; the main topic; as, the burden of a prayer.

12. (n.) The drone of a bagpipe.

13. (n.) A club.

Spenserian stanza accommodation add adjoin affix afflict affliction agglutinate agitate albatross allegiance amount anacrusis annex antistrophe append arraignability arraignableness assigned task attach bag bale bane barrel basis bass bass passage bear down on bear hard upon bis bitter cup bitter draft bitter draught bitter pill blameworthiness bloody hands bob body book bother bottle bounden duty bourdon box bridge bugbear burden of care burden with burdening burthen business busy cadence calamity call of duty can cankerworm of care canto capacity care cargo carload cartload case censurability censurableness chant chapter charge chargeability charging chest voice chorus clog coda coloratura commitment complicate complicity concern conjoin content cordage couplet cramp crate criminality cripple cross crown of thorns crush one crushing burden culpability cumber cumbrance curse deadweight death decorate dedication deference demand destruction development devoir devotion difficulty dirty hands disadvantage discomfort disease disquiet distich distress disturb ditto division drag drive drone drone bass duties and responsibilities duty embarrass embarrassment encumber encumbrance enjoin enmesh ensnarl entangle entoil entrammel entrap entwine envoi epode essence ethics evil exact exhaust exposition fag falsetto fasten upon fealty fetter figure fill focus of attention focus of interest folderol freight freight with gall gall and wormwood gist glue on go hard with go ill with gravamen grievance guilt guiltiness guilty conscience hamper hamstring handicap harm harmonic close haul haunt haunt the memory head head voice heading heap heap up heptastich hexastich hitch on hobble homage impeachability impeachableness impede impediment impedimenta imperative implication impose impose on impose upon imposition inconvenience incubus inculpation incumbency indictability indictableness infix inflict on inflict upon infliction interlude intermezzo introductory phrase involve involvement issue join with keep busy lade lading lame lay lay on levy lie on lime limit line line of duty living issue load load with care loading loyalty lumber main point mass matter matter in hand measure meat millstone mission monostich motif motive movement musical phrase musical sentence must nemesis net obligation obsess octastich octave octet onus open wound