Dictionary

overburden en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈoʊvɚˌbɝdn̩/ (Canada, General-American)
• /ˈəʊ̯vəˌbɜːdn̩/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈəʉ̯vəˌbɜːdn̩/ (Australia)
• [ˈɐʉ̯.vɐˌbɜːdn̩] (Australia)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Germanic *uber Old English ofer- Middle English over- English over- English burden English overburden From over- + burden.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The rock and subsoil that lies above a mineral deposit such as a coal seam, or any other underground feature.
   • Such rocks have been changed by baking in a terrestrial pressure-cooker. Then they have been disinterred: kilometres of overburden must have been removed. 2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 163:
   • Settari (2002) and Osorio et al. (1999) also suggest that the analysis domain should include overburdens, sideburdens and underburdens for better accommodation of the coupling effects of stress changes and flow. 2007, Erik Eberhardt, Doug Stead, Tom Morrison, Rock Mechanics: Meeting Society's Challenges and Demands, →ISBN:
   • Before much progress was made with the inverts, however, the movement became accelerated, and it was decided to lighten the load over the tunnel by removing some of the soil, […]. This reduction in the overburden arrested the movement, and the inverting and centring were completed, and the tunnel opened again to traffic on April 9, 1949. 1953 January, “Notes and News: Arley Tunnel, L.M.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 61:
2. (countable, uncountable) A sterile stratum that lies above the stratum being investigated.

Forms

Synonyms

mullock

wikidata: Q331224

overburden en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˌəʉ̯vəˈbɜːdn̩/ (Australia)
• /ˌəʊ̯vəˈbɜːdn̩/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• [ˌɐʉ̯.vɐˈbɜːdn̩] (Australia)
• (US) audio
• /ˌoʊvɚˈbɝdn̩/ (Canada, General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Germanic *uber Old English ofer- Middle English over- English over- English burden English overburden From over- + burden.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To overload or overtax.
   • In reality, the levels of work varied: some internationals seemed overburdened with tasks and responsibility, some seemed underburdened, and some faced apparently just the right amount of work. 2007, Kimberley Coles, Democratic Designs, →ISBN:
   • He said the increase would avoid overburdening taxpayers who have subsidised the railways by £31 billion since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic. 2023 January 11, Paul Stephen, “Network News: Division over 5.9% increase in regulated rail fares”, in RAIL, number 974, page 16:

Forms

Synonyms

inundate · surcharge · overload · swamp

Translations (4)

hu túlterhel (to overload or overtax) · sv överbelasta (to overload or overtax) · bg претоварвам (to overload or overtax) · got 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽 (to overload or overtax)