What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Burden vs Wight - What's the difference?

burden | wight |

As nouns the difference between burden and wight

is that burden is a heavy load while wight is a living creature, especially a human being.

As a verb burden

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

As an adjective wight is

(archaic except in dialects) Brave, valorous, strong.

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

    *

    wight

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl), from (etyl) . See also (l). The meaning of the wraith-like creature is from barrow-wights in world.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (archaic) A living creature, especially a human being.
  • * circa 1602 , , act 1, scene 3:
    • O base Hungarian wight ! wilt thou the spigot wield?
  • * 1626 , , verse vi
    • Oh say me true if thou wert mortal wight
    And why from us so quickly thou didst take thy flight.
  • (paganism) A being of one of the Nine Worlds of heathen belief, especially a nature spirit, elf or ancestor.
  • (poetic) A ghost or other supernatural entity.
  • * 1789 , , lines 14-15-16
    • But I saw a glow-worm near,
    Who replied: ‘What wailing wight
    Calls the watchman of the night?
  • (fantasy) A wraith-like creature.

    • Etymology 2

    From (etyl), from (etyl) Merriam-Webster, 1974..

    Adjective

    (head)
  • (archaic except in dialects ) Brave, valorous, strong.
  • *:
  • *:I haue two sones that were but late made knyghtes / and the eldest hyghte sir Tirre // and my yongest sone hyght Lauayne / and yf hit please yow / he shalle ryde with yow vnto that Iustes / and he is of his age x stronge and wyght
  • Strong; stout; active.

    • See also

    * Isle of Wight

    References

    * English terms with homophones ----