- Load
- Load Load (l[=o]d), n. [OE. lode load, way; properly the same
word as lode, but confused with lade, load, v. See {Lade},
{Lead}, v., {Lode}.]
1. A burden; that which is laid on or put in anything for
conveyance; that which is borne or sustained; a weight;
as, a heavy load.
[1913 Webster]
He might such a load To town with his ass carry. --Gower. [1913 Webster]
2. The quantity which can be carried or drawn in some specified way; the contents of a cart, barrow, or vessel; that which will constitute a cargo; lading. [1913 Webster]
3. That which burdens, oppresses, or grieves the mind or spirits; as, a load of care. `` A . . . load of guilt.'' --Ray. `` Our life's a load.'' --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
4. A particular measure for certain articles, being as much as may be carried at one time by the conveyance commonly used for the article measured; as, a load of wood; a load of hay; specifically, five quarters. [1913 Webster]
5. The charge of a firearm; as, a load of powder. [1913 Webster]
6. Weight or violence of blows. [Obs.] --Milton. [1913 Webster]
7. (Mach.) The work done by a steam engine or other prime mover when working. [1913 Webster]
8. The amount of work that a person, group, or machine is assigned to perform; as, the boss distributed the load evenly among his employees. [PJC]
9. (Elec.) The device or devices that consume power from a power supply. [PJC]
10. (Engineering) The weight or force that a structural support bears or is designed to bear; the object that creates that force. [PJC]
{Load line}, or {Load water line} (Naut.), the line on the outside of a vessel indicating the depth to which it sinks in the water when loaded.
Syn: Burden; lading; weight; cargo. See {Burden}. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
