onus-, oner-

1. To officially declare that someone is not to blame or is not guilty of wrongdoing: Tamika's attorney claims that the new evidence will completely exonerate her from the charges made by her former employer.
2. To relieve someone from an obligation, task, or responsibility: The executive officer of the newspaper publication offered to exonerate Bruce from the editorial contract.

The bank wrote to Charles to explain that the bank will not be exonerating him from repaying the bank loan.

3. To clear, as of an accusation; to free from guilt or blame; to exculpate: The investigative report of the port authorities exonerated the ship's crew from all responsibility for the collision.

Frank was relieved that the judge chose to exonerate him from the unpaid parking ticket because of the emergency situation.

4. Etymology: from Latin ex-, "out, away" +onus, "burden"; "to remove the onus or burden of guilt". © ALL rights are reserved.

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1. A reference to being freed of guilt or being acquitted: "The police report stated that Kim was an exonerated driver because she was not responsible for the collision of the cars."

1. A condition of being relieved from blame or an obligation: "A judicial review of the evidence resulted in an exoneration of all charges for Hugo."
2. The act of vindicating or defending against criticism, censure, etc.
3. The act of discharging, unburdening, or freeing morally from a charge or imputation.

1. Referring to the freeing of someone from a burden or an obligation.
2. Descriptive of absolving or to clearing a person from an accusation or blame.

A person who shows or states that someone is not to be blamed for anything bad which has happened.

1. Set up to carry a burden or burdens.
2. Fitted or intended for the carriage of burdens; comprising a burden.

To load or to burden.

A process that involves loading.

1. Representing a great burden or much trouble: Sometimes Gerda felt like it was an onerous responsibility to be a mother and a full-time worker at the same time.
2. A reference to obligations that are more disadvantageous than advantageous: Hesther made an onerous promise to care for her neighbor's cat before she realized that it didn't like her.
3. Troublesome or oppressive; burdensome: When asked to mow the neighbor's lawn, Mark said it was not an onerous request and he was happy to do the work for the elderly lady.
4. The figuratively heavy load imposed by something irksome or annoying: Pearson walked as if he were carrying an onerous burden on his back because he was bent over and was trudging along so slowly.
5. Relating to obligations or responsibilities; especially, legal ones, that outweigh the advantages: Henry realized that he had signed an onerous agreement when he found out that he was obligated to pay back his debts with a specific amount every month.
6. In law, involving obligations that exceed advantages: The terms of the woman's will appeared to be onerous for her two children because they would have to let their mother's sister decide how much income they would be allowed to spend.
7. Etymology: from Old French (h)onereus (14th century, Modern French onéreux), from Latin onerosus, from onus, oner-, "burden". © ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.

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A reference to or descriptive of someone, or something, being burdensome or troublesome.

1. Involving, imposing, or constituting a burden; troublesome.
2. Having legal obligations that outweigh any advantages.

1. A duty or responsibility: It is Greg's onus to make the first move for reconciliation with Gretchen for the insult he made regarding her weight.
2. The blame for something: The neighbor will always bear the onus of having caused Ted's auto accident.
3. The obligation or duty to do something: The onus is on the parents to teach their children not to smoke at an early age. © ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
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Burden of proving.

1. Having an irritable disposition; cantankerous (difficult or irritating to deal with).
2. Mean-spirited, disagreeable, and contrary in disposition.

This word is NOT related to the onus-, oner- Latin family of words. It is included in this unit only for purposes of clarification and to help anyone who thinks these orneriness and ornery words came from this onerary, onerous family.

1. Uncooperative and irritable.
2. Meager (stingy), whether out of poverty or lack of generosity.
3. Etymology: from about 1816, American Enlgish dialectal contraction of "ordinary". "Commonplace", hence "of poor quality, coarse, ugly." By about 1860, the sense had evolved to being "mean, cantankerous."

These words are NOT related to this onus-, oner- family. They were placed here simply to point out that they are not relatives of those words that are derived from the Latin sources of this unit.