börda

Börda is a Swedish noun meaning burden or load, used for both physical weights and figurative responsibilities or hardships. The basic form is en börda; the plural is bördor. In everyday language it can describe a heavy physical load as well as moral, emotional, or social obligations.

Common expressions include att bära en börda (to bear a burden), en tung börda (a heavy burden), and vara en börda för någon (to be a burden to someone). In legal terminology the term appears in compounds such as bevisbörda, meaning the burden of proof. Bevisbördan lies with the party that must prove a claim, typically the prosecution in criminal cases.

Börda is often contrasted with related terms for weight or load, such as vikt (weight), tyngd (heaviness), and last (cargo or burden). In addition to physical and legal uses, börda commonly appears in discussions of personal or moral weight, as in moralisk börda or att känna en stor börda.

Etymology and cognates: the word originates in the Germanic language family and has cognates in other Nordic languages; it is etymologically related to words for burden in nearby languages. In modern Swedish, börda remains a versatile term that captures both tangible loads and abstract duties, reflecting the broad sense of weight and obligation carried by individuals or groups.