lade

Lade is a term with several related meanings in English and in place-name usage. In English, lade is an archaic or nautical verb meaning to load or to put cargo onto a vessel. It is closely related to the modern word load and is often paired with the opposite verb un lade, used to mean unload. The noun form lade is rare in contemporary use; more common nouns for the collection of cargo or the act of loading are load, lading, and cargo.

Etymology and usage context

The verb lade derives from older Germanic languages and has cognates in related languages such as Dutch laden and German laden, all connected with the idea of loading or burdening. In modern English, lade remains largely literary, ceremonial, or confined to historical and maritime texts. In nautical writing, phrases such as “to lade the ship with cargo” appear in older logs, legal documents, and poetry, with “laden” functioning as an adjective meaning loaded.

Other uses

Lade also appears as a proper noun in geographic and personal-name contexts, particularly in European languages. As a place name or surname, its occurrences vary by region and language, and the exact locations or families associated with the name are not fixed across sources.

See also

laden, loading, lading, unload, unloading.