belaste

Belaste is a verb used in several Scandinavian languages, notably Norwegian, Danish and Swedish, with related meanings across the languages. It generally means to load or to burden something, and also to impose costs, obligations, or charges on someone or something. In everyday language it can refer to physically placing a load on a vehicle or structure, as well as to figurative burdens such as financial or legal duties.

In Norwegian, the infinitive is å belaste. The verb is used for both physical loading and for burdening someone or something with costs or duties. Typical conjugation in Norwegian is: present belaster, past belastet, and supine/participial form belastet. In Danish and Swedish, cognate forms exist with similar meanings: Danish at belaste (present belaster, past belastede); Swedish belasta (present belastar, past belastade).

Common contexts include economic and policy discussions, where belaste describes imposing costs on households or businesses; logistics, where it denotes loading cargo onto a vehicle; and legal or financial settings, where it describes imposing charges or obligations on a party. Examples in Norwegian include: “Myndighetene belaster husholdningene med høyere avgifter” and “Skipet ble belastet med last.” In legal drafting one may see “Partene ble belastet med omkostninger.”

Etymology is linked to West Germanic and other Nordic language cognates, with similar spelling and meaning across the Scandinavian region. Belaste is not typically a proper noun or place name, but rather a common verb found in policy, law, logistics, and everyday speech.