Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “burthensome” come from?

burthensome (English) comes from English burthen, from English burden, from Middle English burden, from Old English byrden, from Proto-West Germanic burþini, from Proto-West Germanic burþī, from Proto-Germanic burþį̄, from Proto-Indo-European bʰēr- — shiny, light brown.

burthensome (English): Obsolete spelling of burdensome

Definitions

  1. Obsolete spelling of burdensome

Ancestry of “burthensome”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishburthenThe tonnage of a ship based on the number of tuns...
2EnglishburdenA heavy load; A responsibility, onus; A cause of...
3Middle EnglishburdenAlternative form of borden; plural of burde
4Old Englishbyrden—
5Proto-West Germanicburþiniburden
6Proto-West Germanicburþīburden
7Proto-Germanicburþį̄burden
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰēr-shiny, light brown
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰēr- →