encumbrance

English

Alternative forms

incumbrance (less common since about 1925)

Etymology

From Middle English encombraunce, from Old French encombrance, from encombrer.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɪnˈkʌm.bɹəns/, /ɛn-/, /-bɹən(t)s/

Noun

encumbrance (countable and uncountable, plural encumbrances)

Something that encumbers; a burden that must be carried.
- 1912 January, Zane Grey, chapter 8, in Riders of the Purple Sage […], New York, N.Y., London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, →OCLC:
  Some consideration was necessary to decide whether or not to leave his rifle there. On the return, carrying the girl and a pack, it would be added encumbrance […]
Alternative spelling of incumbrance (“in law: interest attached to a title; dependent”).
The state or condition of being encumbered.

Synonyms

encumberment

Antonyms

unencumbrance

Translations

burden

Bulgarian: бреме (bg) n (breme), товар (bg) m (tovar)
Danish: byrde c, belastning c, hindring c, hæmsko (da) c
Finnish: taakka (fi)
German: Belastung (de) f, dingliche Belastung f
Hungarian: teher (hu), megterhelés (hu), súly (hu)
Malayalam: ബാധ്യത (ml) (bādhyata)
Maori: whakararu, hūnuku (refers to family members)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: belastning m or f
Polish: obciążenie (pl) n
Swedish: börda (sv)
Turkish: mesuliyet (tr), sorumluluk (tr), yük (tr), engel (tr)
Uyghur: دەردىسەر (derdiser), سېلىق (sëliq), تاپ (tap)

interest, right, burden or liability

Bulgarian: ипотека (bg) f (ipoteka)
Finnish: rasite (fi)
German: Verschuldung (de) f, Schuldenlast (de) f, Grundstückslast f
Hungarian: teher (hu), megterhelés (hu), jelzálog (hu)
Malayalam: കുടിക്കടം (kuṭikkaṭaṁ)
Polish: obciążenie (pl) n
Turkish: borç (tr), ipotek (tr) (law)
Welsh: llyffethair f

Verb

encumbrance (third-person singular simple present encumbrances, present participle encumbrancing, simple past and past participle encumbranced)

(law) To apply an encumbrance to (property, etc.).

References

“encumbrance”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.