What does burthen mean?
Burthen is an archaic variant of the more familiar word burden, sharing both its meaning and its history. As a noun, it denotes a heavy load physically carried, a ship's rated carrying capacity in tons, or, figuratively, a responsibility or sorrow that weighs upon the mind. As a verb, it means to load or encumber. The spelling appears throughout older English literature — Shakespeare's plays, the King James Bible, and countless ballads — where lines often end with 'the burthen of the song,' referring to a refrain. In contemporary usage the word survives mainly as a deliberate stylistic choice, lending prose an antique, solemn, or nautical flavor. Writers reach for it when they want the weight of 'burden' with an added patina of age, as in describing a vessel of five hundred tons burthen or a grief one must carry like a burthen. For everyday purposes, however, 'burden' remains the standard form.
A heavy load carried; also, a responsibility or hardship weighing on someone; historically, the carrying capacity of a ship in tons.
"Five hundred tons burthen, the merchantman could carry cargo across any ocean."
The tonnage sense ('tons burthen') is now historical, used only in maritime contexts.
To load or weigh down with a burden.
"He would not burthen his friend with his troubles."
Rarely used today except in deliberately archaic prose.
The standard plural follows regular noun inflection; in modern writing the plural 'burdens' of the standard spelling is far more common.
"Each traveler bore a separate burthen on the long road north."
For centuries, 'burthen' was the official term for a ship's carrying capacity — sailors spoke of vessels rated at so many tons burthen.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of burthen
Burthen is simply an older spelling of burden, which descends from the Old English 'byrthen', formed from the verb 'beran' ('to bear, to carry'). The same Germanic root gave English 'birth' and the verb 'bear'. The '-th-' spelling reflected medieval pronunciation habits and persisted into Early Modern English before gradually giving way to the modern '-den' form.
Related word forms
How burthen is actually used
Deliberately archaic or poetic in modern writing; readers will recognize it chiefly from older literature such as Shakespeare or the King James Bible, where 'burthen' was the ordinary spelling.
Easily confused with burthen
'Burden' is the standard modern English word for a load or responsibility, while 'burthen' is an archaic or dialectal variant spelling with the same meaning.