onerous
/ˈɒnərəs/
adjective
Origin
Latin
onus — weight, burden, load
Overview
Meaning Now
- Involving an amount of effort and difficulty that is oppressively burdensome.
- Legal: imposing or constituting a legal burden or liability that outweighs any advantage.
Literal older meaning
burdensome; like a weight (from Latin onus, weight)
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Latin → Old French → English
Earliest form
oneros
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The word entered English via Middle French during the late Middle Ages, reflecting the Latin legal tradition of 'onus probandi' (the burden of proof), which remains a common legal phrase in English today.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*h₃enh₂-
“load”
- Latin
onus
“weight, burden”
- Latin
onerosus
“burdensome”
suffix -osus added to denote 'full of'
- Old French
onereux
“burdensome”
- Middle English
onerous
“burdensome, heavy”
Connections
Word parts
oner-
root
burden
-ous
suffix
full of, having the quality of
Related across languages
French
onéreux
burdensome
Spanish
oneroso
burdensome
Related words
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Related to onerous
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.