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Burden vs Incubus - What's the difference?

burden | incubus |

As nouns the difference between burden and incubus

is that burden is a heavy load or burden can be (music) a phrase or theme that recurs at the end of each verse in a folk song or ballad while incubus is an evil spirit supposed to oppress people while asleep, especially to have sex with women as they sleep.

As a verb burden

is to encumber with a burden (in any of the noun senses of the word ).

burden

English

(wikipedia burden)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) burden, birden, burthen, birthen, byrthen, from (etyl) byrden, .

Alternative forms

* burthen (archaic)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A heavy load.
  • * 1898 , , (Moonfleet) Chapter 4
    • There were four or five men in the vault already, and I could hear more coming down the passage, and guessed from their heavy footsteps that they were carrying burdens .
  • A responsibility, onus.
  • A cause of worry; that which is grievous, wearisome, or oppressive.
  • * Jonathan Swift
    • Deaf, giddy, helpless, left alone, / To all my friends a burden grown.
  • The capacity of a vessel, or the weight of cargo that she will carry.
    • a ship of a hundred tons burden
  • (mining) The tops or heads of stream-work which lie over the stream of tin.
  • (metalworking) The proportion of ore and flux to fuel, in the charge of a blast furnace.
    • (Raymond)
  • A fixed quantity of certain commodities.
    • A burden of gad steel is 120 pounds.
  • (obsolete, rare) A birth.
    • That bore thee at a burden two fair sons

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To encumber with a burden (in any of the noun senses of the word ).
    • to burden a nation with taxes
  • * Bible, 2 Corinthians viii. 13
    • I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened .
  • * Shakespeare
    • My burdened heart would break.
  • To impose, as a load or burden; to lay or place as a burden (something heavy or objectionable).
  • * Coleridge
    • It is absurd to burden this act on Cromwell.
    Derived terms
    * burdensome * beast of burden

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) bordon. See bourdon.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (music) A phrase or theme that recurs at the end of each verse in a folk song or ballad.
  • * 1610 , , act 1 scene 2
    • [...] Foot it featly here and there; / And, sweet sprites, the burden bear.
  • * 1846 ,
    • As commonly used, the refrain, or burden , not only is limited to lyric verse, but depends for its impression upon the force of monotone - both in sound and thought.
  • The drone of a bagpipe.
    • (Ruddiman)
  • (obsolete) Theme, core idea.

    • Anagrams

    *

    incubus

    English

    (wikipedia incubus)

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • An evil spirit supposed to oppress people while asleep, especially to have sex with women as they sleep.
  • A feeling of oppression during sleep, sleep paralysis; night terrors, a nightmare.
  • *, vol. I, New York 2001, p.249:
    • it increaseth fearful dreams, incubus , night-walking, crying out, and much unquietness […].
  • Any oppressive thing or person; a burden.
  • *2002 , , The Great Nation , Penguin 2003, p. 132-3:
  • *:Notions of civic virtue were at that moment changing, in ways which would make of Louis's alleged vices an incubus on the back of the monarchy.
  • One of various of parasitic insects, especially

    • Quotations

    * (English Citations of "incubus")

    Synonyms

    * (a nightmare) nightmare

    Hypernyms

    * (an evil spirit) evil spirit, spirit

    See also

    * incubous * succubus ----