Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

ŏnus (in good MSS. also wr. hŏnus), ĕris, n. [etym. dub.; cf. Sanscr. anas, a wagon for freight], a load, burden (cf. pondus).

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. In gen.: oneris maximi pondus, Vitr. 10, 8: onus sustinere, Plaut. As. 3, 3, 68: cum gravius dorso subiit onus (asellus), Hor S. 1, 9, 20: tanti oneris turris, Caes. B. G. 2, 30: ad minimum redigi onus, Ov M. 14, 149.
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. Of goods, baggage, etc., a load, lading, freight, cargo: insula Delos, quo omnes undique cum mercibus atque oneribus commeabant, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 18, 55: onera afferuntur, Plin. 6, 23, 26, § 104: (naves) ad onera et ad multitudinem jumentorum transportandam paulo latiores, Caes. B. G. 5, 1, 2: jumentis onera deponere, loads, packs, id. B. C. 1, 80.
      2. 2. Poet., the burden of the womb, the fœtus, embryo: gravidi ventris, Ov. Am. 2, 13, 1; id. F. 2, 452; id. H. 4, 58; Phaedr. 1, 18, 5.
      3. 3. The excrements: ciborum onera reddere, Plin. 8, 27, 41, § 97: duri ventris solvere, Mart. 13, 29, 2.
  2. II. Trop
    1. A. A burden, in respect of property, i. e. a tax or an expense (usually in the plur.): municipium maximis oneribus pressum, Cic. Fam. 13, 7, 2: haec onera in dites a pauperibus inclinata, Liv. 1, 43: patria, Suet. Calig. 42: haerere in explicandis oneribus, id. Dom. 12 init.: oneribus novis turbantur provinciae, Tac. A. 4, 6.
    2. B. A load, burden, weight, charge, trouble, difficulty of any kind (so most freq. in Cic.; cf. molestia): magni sunt oneris; quicquid imponas, vehunt, capable of bearing great burdens, Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 95: quae (senectus) plerisque senibus sic odiosa est, ut onus se Aetnā gravius dicant sustinere, Cic. Sen. 2, 4: onus atque munus magnum, id. de Or. 1, 25, 116: hoc onus si vos adlevabitis, id. Rosc. Am. 4, 10: officii, id. ib.: probandi, the burden of proof, obligation to prove, Dig. 31, 1, 22; Cic. Rep. 1, 23, 37: oneri esse, to be a burden, Liv. 23, 43; Vulg. 2 Reg. 15, 33: neque eram nescius, quantis oneribus premerere susceptarum rerum, Cic. Fam. 5, 12, 2: epici carminis onera lyrā sustinere, Quint. 10, 1, 62.
    3. C. (Eccl. Lat.) The burden of a prophecy, the woes predicted against any one: Babylonis, Vulg. Isa. 13, 1: Tyri, id. ib. 23, 1.
      With subj.gen.: Domini, Vulg. Jer. 23, 33: verbi Domini, id. Zach. 12, 1.