noun · neuterthird declension
onus
onus n (genitive oneris)
Classical[ˈɔ.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈɔː.nus]
№ 842 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- neuterburden, load
- neutercargo, freight
- figurativelyneutertax, tax burden
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
quod portātur; grave onus.onus -eris n — in Mille Verba, ch. Via et Iter
id quod portāturonus -eris (n) — in IVLIANVS I: Gallia, ch. 7, 15
pondus quod portāturonus -eris (n) — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 9, 21 and Aeneis, ch. 6
pondus quod portāre dēbēsonus -eris (n) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 3, 21
load, burden
onus -eris (n) — in De Bello Gallico III
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Moles · Onus · Pondus · Gravitas
Moles and onus denote the heaviness of an object in its disadvantageous sense; moles (from μῶλος or μόχλος) absolutely, as unwieldiness, so far as through its greatness it is inconvenient to move, like ὄγκος; onus, relatively to its pressure, so far as it is irksome to the person carrying it, as a burden, φόρτος; whereas pondus (from pendere) in an advantageous sense, as force and strength, like weight, ἄχθος; lastly, gravitas (from γεραός) unites both senses, and sometimes denotes the irksome heaviness, sometimes the effective weightiness, like βάρος. (iv. 223.)
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | onus | onera |
| genitive | oneris | onerum |
| dative | onerī | oneribus |
| accusative | onus | onera |
| ablative | onere | oneribus |
| vocative | onus | onera |
ŏnus (in good MSS. also wr. hŏnus), ĕris, n. etym. dub.; cf. Sanscr. anas, a wagon for freight,
I. a load, burden (cf. pondus).
I. Lit.
A. In gen.:
oneris maximi pondus, Vitr. 10, 8: onus sustinere, Plaut. As. 3, 3, 68: cum gravius dorso subiit onus (asellus), Hor S. 1, 9, 20: tanti oneris turris, Caes. B. G. 2, 30: ad minimum redigi onus, Ov M. 14, 149.—B. In partic.
1. Of goods, baggage, etc., a load, lading, freight, cargo:
insula Delos, quo omnes undique cum mercibus atque oneribus commeabant, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 18, 55: onera afferuntur, Plin. 6, 23, 26, § 104: (naves) ad onera et ad multitudinem jumentorum transportandam paulo latiores, Caes. B. G. 5, 1, 2: jumentis onera deponere, loads, packs, id. B. C. 1, 80.—2. Poet., the burden of the womb, the fœtus, embryo:
gravidi ventris, Ov. Am. 2, 13, 1; id. F. 2, 452; id. H. 4, 58; Phaedr. 1, 18, 5. —3. The excrements:
ciborum onera reddere, Plin. 8, 27, 41, § 97: duri ventris solvere, Mart. 13, 29, 2.—II. Trop
A. A burden, in respect of property, i. e. a tax or an expense (usually in the plur.):
municipium maximis oneribus pressum, Cic. Fam. 13, 7, 2: haec onera in dites a pauperibus inclinata, Liv. 1, 43: patria, Suet. Calig. 42: haerere in explicandis oneribus, id. Dom. 12 init.: oneribus novis turbantur provinciae, Tac. A. 4, 6.—B. A load, burden, weight, charge, trouble, difficulty of any kind (so most freq. in Cic.; cf. molestia): magni sunt oneris;
quicquid imponas, vehunt, capable of bearing great burdens, Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 95: quae (senectus) plerisque senibus sic odiosa est, ut onus se Aetnā gravius dicant sustinere, Cic. Sen. 2, 4: onus atque munus magnum, id. de Or. 1, 25, 116: hoc onus si vos adlevabitis, id. Rosc. Am. 4, 10: officii, id. ib.: probandi, the burden of proof, obligation to prove, Dig. 31, 1, 22; Cic. Rep. 1, 23, 37: oneri esse, to be a burden, Liv. 23, 43; Vulg. 2 Reg. 15, 33: neque eram nescius, quantis oneribus premerere susceptarum rerum, Cic. Fam. 5, 12, 2: epici carminis onera lyrā sustinere, Quint. 10, 1, 62.—C. (Eccl. Lat.) The burden of a prophecy, the woes predicted against any one:
Babylonis, Vulg. Isa. 13, 1: Tyri, id. ib. 23, 1.—With subj.gen.: Domini, Vulg. Jer. 23, 33: verbi Domini, id. Zach. 12, 1.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
onus eris, n
AN-, a load, burden: tanta onera navium, ships of so great burden, Cs.: clipei ingens, V.: minimum, O.: gravius dorso, heavier than he can carry, H.—A load, lading, freight, cargo: cum oneribus commeabant: iumentis onera deponere, packs, Cs.—The burden of the womb, foetus, embryo: gravidi ventris, O., Ph.—Fig., a burden, tax, expense: quod vobis oneris imposuit lex: municipium maximis oneribus pressum: haec onera in dites a pauperibus inclinata, L.: exempti oneribus, Ta.—A load, burden, weight, charge, trouble, difficulty: Paupertas mihi onus visumst, T.: his graviora onera iniungebat, Cs.: onus se Aetnā gravius sustinere: hic onus horret, H.: quibus coger oneri esse, to be a burden, S.
Origins
- Proto-Indo-European*h₃en(H)-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₃én(H)os
- Proto-Italic*onos
- Latinonus
From Proto-Italic *onos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃én(H)os, from the root *h₃en(H)-. Cognate with Sanskrit अनस् (ánas, “heavy cart; mother; birth; offspring”).
Descendants
- Italianonere
- Englishonus
- GermanOnus
- Portugueseónus
- Sicilianòniri
- Dutchonus