English

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Noun

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overburthen (plural overburthens)

  1. Archaic form of overburden.
    • 1774, Isaac de Pinto, translated by S. Baggs, An Essay on Circulation and Credit[1], London: J. Ridley, page 122:
      The over burthen of these expenses falls upon the sale of the commodity, and lessens the consumption.
    • 1832, John W. Colenso, "A Description of Happy-Union Tin Stream-work at Pentuan" in Transactions of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall, T. Vigurs, Vol. 4, p. 38 [2]
      The overburthen contains no sea-sand, but is composed of silt and river gravel [] .

Verb

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overburthen (third-person singular simple present overburthens, present participle overburthening, simple past and past participle overburthened)

  1. Archaic form of overburden.
    • 1924, Herman Melville, chapter 13, in Billy Budd[3], London: Constable & Co.:
      In short the last man in the world, one would think, to be overburthened with thoughts, especially those perilous thoughts that must needs belong to a conspirator in any serious project, or even to the underling of such a conspirator.