*load*

a. Receiving the charge at the breech instead of at the muzzle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. as much as will fill or load a cart; the quantity that a cart holds. In excavating and carting sand, gravel, earth, etc., one third of a cubic yard of the material before it is loosened is estimated to be a cart load. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. lode load, way; properly the same word as lode, but confused with lade, load, v. See Lade, Lead, v., Lode. ] 1. A burden; that which is laid on or put in anything for conveyance; that which is borne or sustained; a weight; as, a heavy load. [ 1913 Webster ]

He might such a load
To town with his ass carry. Gower. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The quantity which can be carried or drawn in some specified way; the contents of a cart, barrow, or vessel; that which will constitute a cargo; lading. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. That which burdens, oppresses, or grieves the mind or spirits; as, a load of care. “ A . . . load of guilt.” Ray. “ Our life's a load.” Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A particular measure for certain articles, being as much as may be carried at one time by the conveyance commonly used for the article measured; as, a load of wood; a load of hay; specifically, five quarters. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. The charge of a firearm; as, a load of powder. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Weight or violence of blows. [ Obs. ] Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. (Mach.) The work done by a steam engine or other prime mover when working. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. The amount of work that a person, group, or machine is assigned to perform; as, the boss distributed the load evenly among his employees. [ PJC ]

9. (Elec.) The device or devices that consume power from a power supply. [ PJC ]

10. (Engineering) The weight or force that a structural support bears or is designed to bear; the object that creates that force. [ PJC ]

Load line, or
Load water line (Naut.), the line on the outside of a vessel indicating the depth to which it sinks in the water when loaded.

Syn. -- Burden; lading; weight; cargo. See Burden. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Loaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Loading. Loaden is obsolete, and laden belongs to lade. ] 1. To lay a load or burden on or in, as on a horse or in a cart; to charge with a load, as a gun; to furnish with a lading or cargo, as a ship; hence, to add weight to, so as to oppress or embarrass; to heap upon. [ 1913 Webster ]

I strive all in vain to load the cart. Gascoigne. [ 1913 Webster ]

I have loaden me with many spoils. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Those honors deep and broad, wherewith
Your majesty loads our house. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To adulterate or drug; as, to load wine. [ Cant ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To magnetize. [ Obs. ] Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

Loaded dice, dice with one side made heavier than the others, so that the number on the opposite side will come up oftenest. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. (Arch.) Supporting a load{ 10 } from parts of a structure above; as, a load-bearing wall. [ prenominal ]
Syn. -- supporting(prenominal). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. 1. containing as much or as many as is possible; -- of containers, vehicles, trays, etc.; as, a tray loaded with dishes
Syn. -- laden. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. containing a shell or an explosive charge ready for firing; -- of firearms. Opposite of unloaded. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. charged with associative significance and often meant to mislead or influence; -- of statements or questions; as, a loaded question.
WordNet 1.5 ]

4. having an abundant supply of money or possessions of value; as, She was not merely rich but loaded.
Syn. -- affluent, flush, moneyed, wealthy. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

5. very drunk. [ slang ]
Syn. -- blotto, crocked, fuddled, pissed, pixilated, plastered, potty, slopped, sloshed, smashed, soused, sozzled, squiffy, stiff, tiddly, tiddley, tight, tipsy, wet. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. One who, or that which, loads; a mechanical contrivance for loading, as a gun. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act of putting a load on or into. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A load; cargo; burden. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A large quantity; a lot; as, loads of fun. [ informal ] [ PJC ]

n. The act or process of disconnecting the electric current on certain lines when the demand becomes greater than the supply. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

{ , n. Pilotage; skill of a pilot or loadsman. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ , n. [ Load, lode + man. See Lode. ] A pilot. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ , n. [ Load, lode + star. See Lode. ] 1. A star that leads; a guiding star; esp., the polestar, Polaris; also, the constellation containing the pole star, the cynosure (Ursa Minor). Chaucer. “ Your eyes are lodestars.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The pilot can no loadstar see. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Something that serves as a guide or provides direction; a cynosure{ 2 }. [ PJC ]

3. Something that attracts attention or on which the atention is fixed; a cynosure{ 3 }. [ PJC ]

{ , n. [ Load, lode + stone. ] (Min.) A piece of magnetite, a magnetic iron ore, possessing polarity like a magnetic needle, having the power to attract as well as to be attracted magnetically. See Magnetite. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A firearm which receives its charge through the muzzle, as distinguished from one which is loaded at the breech. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Receiving its charge through the muzzle; as, a muzzle-loading rifle. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Overloaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Overloading. ] [ Cf. Overlade. ] To load or fill to excess; to load too heavily. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An excessive load; the excess beyond a proper load. [ 1913 Webster ]

pos>n. The part of a missile or torpedo that carries the explosive charge.
Syn. -- warhead, load. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. The goods carried by a large vehicle.
Syn. -- cargo, lading, freight, load, loading, shipment, consignment. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. To load again, as a gun. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Aeronautics) (a) The air pressure supported by each longitudinal foot segment of a wing. (b) Commonly, the whole weight of aeroplane and load divided by the span, or length from tip to tip. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. The load, or cargo, of a ship. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Aeronautics) The weight supported per square unit of surface; the quotient obtained by dividing the gross weight, in pounds, of a fully loaded flying machine, by the total area, in square feet, of its supporting surface. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

v. t. to load (a truck, etc.) with less than its full capacity; -- in certain circumstances, an inefficient use of resources. [ PJC ]

. (Elec.) A motor starter provided with an underload switch. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

. (Elec.) A switch which opens a circuit when the current falls below a certain predetermined value, used to protect certain types of motors from running at excessive speed upon decrease of load. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

v. t. [ 1st pref. un- + load. ] 1. To take the load from; to discharge of a load or cargo; to disburden; as, to unload a ship; to unload a beast. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence, to relieve from anything onerous. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To discharge or remove, as a load or a burden; as, to unload the cargo of a vessel. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To draw the charge from; as, to unload a gun. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To sell in large quantities, as stock; to get rid of. [ Brokers' Cant, U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To perform the act of unloading anything; as, let unload now. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, unloads; a device for unloading, as hay from a wagon. [ 1913 Webster ]