Carico

Carico is an Italian noun meaning the load or burden that is carried. It is used for physical cargo as well as figurative burdens. The word comes from the verb caricare, to load, which in turn relates to placing a weight on something.

Common uses include il carico di merci (goods carried by a vehicle or ship), il carico di lavoro (workload), and il carico utile (payload, for example in aviation or robotics). The expression carico fiscale refers to the tax burden borne by an individual or organization. When described as carico, the sense generally emphasizes something that is being borne or carried.

In logistics and transportation, the terms carico and scarico denote loading and unloading operations. For example, one speaks of the carico di una nave or the carico di un camion to indicate what is loaded onto the vessel or truck.

In engineering and technical contexts, carico can refer to the electrical or mechanical load placed on a system or component. It is common to discuss how a device handles a given carico in terms of performance, efficiency, and safety margins.

Carico is also used as a surname in Italian-speaking regions, and may appear in place names or historical references. In everyday use, it functions as a versatile term aligned with concepts of weight, burden, and capacity across various domains.