What is "beast of burden"

Burden \Bur"den\ (b[^u]"d'n), n. [Written also burthen.] [OE. burden, burthen, birthen, birden, AS. byr[eth]en; akin to Icel. byr[eth]i, Dan. byrde, Sw. b["o]rda, G. b["u]rde, OHG. burdi, Goth. ba['u]r[thorn]ei, fr. the root of E. bear, AS. beran, Goth. bairan. [root]92. See 1st Bear.]

1. That which is borne or carried; a load.

   Plants with goodly burden bowing.
   --Shak.

2. That which is borne with labor or difficulty; that which is grievous, wearisome, or oppressive.

   Deaf, giddy, helpless, left alone, To all my friends a burden grown.
   --Swift.

3. The capacity of a vessel, or the weight of cargo that she will carry; as, a ship of a hundred tons burden.

4. (Mining) The tops or heads of stream-work which lie over the stream of tin.

5. (Metal.) The proportion of ore and flux to fuel, in the charge of a blast furnace.
   --Raymond.

6. A fixed quantity of certain commodities; as, a burden of gad steel, 120 pounds.

7. A birth. [Obs. & R.]
   --Shak.

   Beast of burden, an animal employed in carrying burdens.

   Burden of proof [L. onus probandi] (Law), the duty of proving a particular position in a court of law, a failure in the performance of which duty calls for judgment against the party on whom the duty is imposed.

   Syn: Burden, Load.

   Usage: A burden is, in the literal sense, a weight to be borne; a load is something laid upon us to be carried. Hence, when used figuratively, there is usually a difference between the two words. Our burdens may be of such a nature that we feel bound to bear them cheerfully or without complaint. They may arise from the nature of our situation; they may be allotments of Providence; they may be the consequences of our errors. What is upon us, as a load, we commonly carry with greater reluctance or sense of oppression. Men often find the charge of their own families to be a burden; but if to this be added a load of care for others, the pressure is usually serve and irksome.

n. 1 A draught animal that carries or pulls heavy loads, such as a donkey, mule, llama, camel or ox. 2 (context by extension English) Any domesticated animal trained to perform tasks for humans, such as a herding dog or trained falcon.

n. an animal such as a donkey or ox or elephant used for transporting loads or doing other heavy work [syn: jument]

Beast of Burden may refer to:

• A working animal or a pack animal
• Beast of Burden (song), originally written and performed by The Rolling Stones
• Beast of Burden (Stargate SG-1), a television episode
• Beasts of Burden (comics), a comic book miniseries by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson

"Beast of Burden" is a song by English rock band The Rolling Stones, featured on the 1978 album Some Girls. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song #435 on their list of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and #433 on the 500 Greatest Rock and Roll Songs of All Time.