or Burdon, in music, the drone or bass, and the pipe or string which plays it: Hence that part of a song, that is repeated at the end of every stanza, is called the burden of it.

A chord which is to be divided, to perform the intervals of music, when open and undivided, is also called the burden.

Burden of a ship is its contents, or number of tons it will carry. The burden of a ship may be determined thus: multiply the length of the keel, taken within board, by the breadth of the ship, within board, taken from the midship-beam, from plank to plank, and multiply the product by the depth of the hold, taken from the plank below the keelson, to the under part of the upper deck plank, and divide the last product by 94, then the quotient is the content of the tonnage required. See Freight.