onus
/ˈoʊ.nəs/
noun
Origin
Latin
onus — load, burden, weight
Overview
Meaning Now
- A burden, responsibility, or duty.
- The responsibility or burden of proof.
Literal older meaning
load or burden
Language path
Latin → English
Earliest form
onus
Earliest period
late 17th century
Journey
The term entered English during a period when Latin was the primary language of law, science, and philosophy. It is most frequently encountered in the phrase 'onus probandi', which is the Latin legal term for the 'burden of proof'.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*onos-
“load or weight”
- Latin
onus
“a load, burden, or freight”
Used both literally for physical cargo and figuratively for responsibilities.
- English, 17th century
onus
“a burden or moral responsibility”
Introduced into legal and scholarly English discourse.
Connections
Word parts
onus
root
burden
Related across languages
Sanskrit
anas
cart or wagon (carrying a load)
Old Church Slavonic
oniti
to load
Explore next
Related to onus
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.