Word of the Day

: November 22, 2008

onus

noun OH-nuss

What It Means

1 : burden

2 : a disagreeable necessity : obligation

3 : blame

onus in Context

Everyone else on the overworked staff was relieved when the onus of handling the new project fell to Cindy.

Did You Know?

Understanding the etymology of "onus" is not at all burdensome; it's as simple as knowing that English borrowed the word -- spelling, meaning, and all -- from Latin in the 17th century. We can also add that it's a distant relative of the Sanskrit word for "cart" (a vehicle that carries a burden). English isn't exactly loaded with derivatives of Latin "onus," but the root did give us "onerous" ("troublesome") and "exonerate" ("to clear from accusation or blame" -- thus, "to unburden"). Additionally, our legal language has "onus probandi," which is often shortened to "onus." It means "burden of proof" -- that is, the obligation of proving a disputed assertion in a court of law.