Where does “onerous” come from?

onerous (Middle English) comes from Middle French onereux, from Old French onereus, from Latin onerosus, from Latin onus, from Proto-Indo-European h₃énh₂os, from Proto-Indo-European h₃enh₂- — to onerate; to charge.

onerous (Middle English): onerous

Definitions

  1. onerous

Ancestry of “onerous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchonereux—
2Old Frenchonereus—
3Latinonerosusburdensome, heavy, oppressive; onerous, irksome
4Latinonusburden, load; cargo, freight
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃énh₂osload; burden
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃enh₂-to onerate; to charge

Words derived from “onerous”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃enh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃énh₂os →Every word from Latin onus →