n.
Pronunciation: ' l ō d
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English lod, from Old English l ā d support, carrying ― more at LODE
Date: 12th century
1 a : the quantity that can be carried at one time by a specified means especially : a measured quantity of a commodity fixed for each type of carrier ― often used in combination <a boat load of tourists> b : whatever is put on a person or pack animal to be carried : PACK c : whatever is put in a ship or vehicle or airplane for conveyance : CARGO especially : a quantity of material assembled or packed as a shipping unit
2 a : a mass or weight supported by something <branches bent low by their load of fruit> b : the forces to which a structure is subjected due to superposed weight or to wind pressure on the vertical surfaces broadly : the forces to which a given object is subjected
3 a : something that weighs down the mind or spirits <took a load off her mind> b : a burdensome or laborious responsibility <always carried his share of the load >
4 slang : an intoxicating amount of liquor drunk
5 : a large quantity : LOT ― usually used in plural
6 a : a charge for a firearm b : the quantity of material loaded into a device at one time
7 : external resistance overcome by a machine or prime mover
8 a : power output (as of a power plant) or power consumption (as by a device) b : a device to which power is delivered
9 a (1) : the amount of work that a person carries or is expected to carry (2) : the amount of authorized work to be performed by a machine, a group, a department, or a factory b : the demand on the operating resources of a system (as a telephone exchange or a refrigerating apparatus)
10 slang : EYEFUL ― used in the phrase get a load of
11 : the amount of a deleterious microorganism, parasite, growth, or substance present in a human or animal body <measure viral load in the blood> <the worm load in rats> ― called also burden
12 : an amount added (as to the price of a security or the net premium in insurance) to represent selling expense and profit to the distributor
13 : GENETIC LOAD