Advertisement

Origin and history of load

load(n.)

c. 1200, lode, lade "that which is laid upon a person or beast, burden," a sense extension from Old English lad "a way, a course, a carrying; a street, watercourse; maintenance, support," from Proto-Germanic *laitho (source also of Old High German leita, German leite, Old Norse leið "way, road, course"), from PIE root *leit- (2) "to go forth" (see lead (v.1)).

It seems to have expanded its range of senses in early Middle English, supplanting words based on lade (v.), to which it is not etymologically connected. The older senses went with the spelling lode (q.v.). The spelling is modern. Meaning "amount customarily loaded at one time" is from c. 1300; meaning "a quantity of strong drink taken" is from 1590s. Meaning "the charge of a firearm" is from 1690s.

Meaning "a great amount or number" (often loads) is from c.1600. Figurative sense of "burden weighing on the mind, heart, or soul" is first attested 1590s. Meaning "amount (of work, etc.) to be done by one person" is attested in compounds from 1939 (first was workload). Colloquial loads "lots, heaps" is attested from c. 1600. Phrase take a load off (one's) feet "sit down, relax" is from 1914, American English. Get a load of "take a look at" is American English colloquial, attested from 1929.

load(v.)

late 15c., "to place in or on (a vehicle)," from load (n.). Sense of "add to the weight of, put a load in or on" is from c. 1500; sense of "to charge a firearm" is from 1620s. Intransitive sense "put or take on a load or charge" is from 1720; of a vehicle, "to fill with passengers," from 1832. Of computer files or programs, by 1977. Related: Loaded; loaden (the old strong past participle, persisting till 18c. in poetry but now obsolete); loading.

also from late 15c.

Entries linking to load

lade(v.)

"put a burden, load, or cargo on or in," Middle English, from Old English hladan (past tense hlod, past participle gehladen) "to load, heap up, burden" (the general Germanic sense), also "to draw or take up water" (a meaning peculiar to English), from Proto-Germanic *hlathan-, which is reconstructed (Watkins) to be from PIE *klā- "to spread out flat" (source also of Lithuanian kloti "to spread," Old Church Slavonic klado "to set, place").

In modern use load (v.) is the chief verb in the transitive sense; lade is restricted to the loading of ships. The past participle laden was longer active in the language but in 20c., excepting in certain phrases, it was displaced by loaded. Also compare lading.

Germanic cognates include Old Norse hlaða "to pile up, load, especially a ship," Old Saxon hladan, Middle Dutch and Dutch laden, Old Frisian hlada "to load," Old High German hladen, German laden "to load, to charge."

lead(v.1)

"to guide," Old English lædan (transitive) "cause to go with oneself; march at the head of, go before as a guide, accompany and show the way; carry on; sprout forth, bring forth; pass (one's life)," causative of liðan "to travel," from Proto-Germanic *laidjanan (according to Watkins from PIE *leit- (2) "to go forth").

Of roads by c. 1200. The meaning "be in first place" is by late 14c. The intransitive sense, "act the part of a leader," is from 1570s. The sense in card-playing, "to commence a round or trick," is from 1670s. The meaning "take the directing part in a musical performance or prayer" is attested by 1849. Related: Led; leading.

To lead with one's chin "leave oneself vulnerable in a contest" (1946) is a figure from boxing. To lead on "entice to advance" is from 1590s. To figuratively lead (someone) by the nose "guide by persuasion" is from 1580s, from draught animals (earlier lead by the sleeve, early 15c.). To lead (someone) a dance "compel through a course of irksome actions" is from 1520s.

Germanic cognates include Old Saxon lithan, Old Norse liða "to go," Old High German ga-lidan "to travel," Gothic ga-leiþan "to go."

Advertisement

More to explore

loaded
1660s, "laden, burdened," past-participle adjective from load (v.). Of dice, from 1739 (in a French phrase book, translating des Dez chargés), in reference to the lead inserted to unbalance them. Sense of "rich, wealthy" is attested from 1910. Of guns, 1858. Slang meaning "drunk"
lode
Middle English spelling of load (n.) "a burden," it keeps most of the word's original meaning "a way, a course, something to be followed." The differentiation in sense took place 16c., that of spelling somewhat later. Mining sense of "vein of metal ore" is from c. 1600, from the
lodestar
late 14c. (late 13c. as a surname), "a star that leads or serves to guide," an old name for the pole star as the star that "leads the way" in navigation; from lode (n.) "a way, a course, something to be followed" (a Middle English variant spelling of load (n.) that preserved the
recharge
"to load" (q.v.); modeled on Old French rechargier "to load, load back on" (13c.)....The noun is recorded from 1610s in English, "a fresh charge or load."...
cark
worries, be concerned about" (archaic), early 12c., a figurative use, via Anglo-French from Old North French carkier "to load..., burden," from Late Latin carcare "to load a wagon or cart," from Latin carrus "wagon" (see car)....The literal sense in English, "to load, put a burden on," is from c. 1300. Related: Carked; carking....mind or spirit," (c. 1300), from Anglo-French karke, from Old North French form of Old French carche, variant of charge "load...
charge
early 13c., chargen, "to load, put a burden on or in; fill with something to be retained," from Old French chargier "to load..., burden, weigh down," from Late Latin carricare "to load a wagon or cart," from Latin carrus "two-wheeled wagon" (see car...The sense of "rush in to attack, bear down upon" is from 1560s, perhaps through the earlier meaning "load a weapon" (1540s...
worry
c. 1300, wirien, "to slay, kill or injure by biting and shaking the throat" (as a dog or wolf does), from Old English wyrgan "to strangle," from Proto-Germanic *wurgjan (source also of Middle Dutch worghen, Dutch worgen, Old High German wurgen, German würgen "to strangle," Old No
spoil
c. 1300, spoilen, "strip (someone) violently of clothes, strip a slain enemy," from Anglo-French espoiller, Old French espoillier, espillier "strip, plunder, pillage" and directly from Latin spoliare "strip, uncover, lay bare; strip of clothing, rob, plunder, pillage," a verb fro
place
c. 1200, "space, dimensional extent, room, area," from Old French place "place, spot" (12c.) and directly from Medieval Latin placea "place, spot," from Latin platea "courtyard, open space; broad way, avenue," from Greek plateia (hodos) "broad (way)," fem. of platys "broad," from

Share load

Advertisement
Trending
Dictionary entries near load
Advertisement