verb (used with object), lad·ed, lad·en or lad·ed, lad·ing.
- to put (something) on or in, as a burden, load, or cargo; load.
- to load oppressively; burden (used chiefly in the passive): laden with many responsibilities.
- to fill or cover abundantly (used chiefly in the passive): trees laden with fruit; a man laden with honors.
- to lift or throw in or out, as a fluid, with a ladle or other utensil.
verb (used without object), lad·ed, lad·en or lad·ed, lad·ing.
- to take on a load.
- to lade a liquid.
verb lades, lading, laded, laden (ˈleɪdən) or laded
- to put cargo or freight on board (a ship, etc) or (of a ship, etc) to take on cargo or freight
- (tr; usually passive and foll by with) to burden or oppress
- (tr; usually passive and foll by with) to fill or load
- to remove (liquid) with or as if with a ladle
noun
- Scot a watercourse, esp a millstream
v.Old English hladan (past tense hlod, past participle gehladen) “to load, heap” (the general Germanic sense), also “to draw water” (a meaning peculiar to English), from Proto-Germanic *khlad- (cf. Old Norse hlaða, Old Saxon hladan, Middle Dutch and Dutch laden, Old Frisian hlada “to load,” Old High German hladen, German laden), from PIE *kla- “to spread out flat” (cf. Lithuanian kloti “to spread,” Old Church Slavonic klado “to set, place”).