Main Entry:

¹load

Pronunciation:

\ˈlōd\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English lod, from Old English lād support, carrying — more at lode

Date:

12th century

1 a: the quantity that can be carried at one time by a specified means ; especially : a measured quantity of a commodity fixed for each type of carrier —often used in combination <a boatload of tourists> b: whatever is put on a person or pack animal to be carried : pack c: whatever is put in a ship or vehicle or airplane for conveyance : cargo ; especially : a quantity of material assembled or packed as a shipping unit2 a: a mass or weight supported by something <branches bent low by their load of fruit> b: the forces to which a structure is subjected due to superposed weight or to wind pressure on the vertical surfaces ; broadly : the forces to which a given object is subjected3 a: something that weighs down the mind or spirits <took a load off her mind> b: a burdensome or laborious responsibility <always carried his share of the load>4slang : an intoxicating amount of liquor drunk5: a large quantity : lot —usually used in plural6 a: a charge for a firearm b: the quantity of material loaded into a device at one time7: external resistance overcome by a machine or prime mover8 a: power output (as of a power plant) or power consumption (as by a device) b: a device to which power is delivered9 a (1): the amount of work that a person carries or is expected to carry (2): the amount of authorized work to be performed by a machine, a group, a department, or a factory b: the demand on the operating resources of a system (as a telephone exchange or a refrigerating apparatus)10slang : eyeful —used in the phrase get a load of11: the amount of a deleterious microorganism, parasite, growth, or substance present in a human or animal body <measure viral load in the blood> <the worm load in rats> —called also burden12: an amount added (as to the price of a security or the net premium in insurance) to represent selling expense and profit to the distributor13: genetic load