overburden

Verb

overburden (third-person singular simple present overburdens, present participle overburdening, simple past and past participle overburdened)

1. (transitive) To overload or overtax.
   • In reality, the levels of work varied: some internationals seemed overburdened with tasks and responsibility, some seemed underburdened, and some faced apparently just the right amount of work.2007, Kimberley Coles, Democratic Designs, →ISBN
   • He said the increase would avoid overburdening taxpayers who have subsidised the railways by £31 billion since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic.2023 January 11, Paul Stephen, “Network News: Division over 5.9% increase in regulated rail fares”, in RAIL, number 974, page 16

   Synonyms:

   inundate, overload, surcharge, swamp

Noun

UK/ˈəʊ̯vəˌbɜːdn̩/US/ˈoʊvɚˌbɝdn̩/

overburden (countable and uncountable, plural overburdens)

1. The rock and subsoil that lies above a mineral deposit such as a coal seam, or any other underground feature.
   • Before much progress was made with the inverts, however, the movement became accelerated, and it was decided to lighten the load over the tunnel by removing some of the soil, […]. This reduction in the overburden arrested the movement, and the inverting and centring were completed, and the tunnel...1953 January, “Notes and News: Arley Tunnel, L.M.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 61
   • Such rocks have been changed by baking in a terrestrial pressure-cooker. Then they have been disinterred: kilometres of overburden must have been removed.2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 163

   Synonyms:

   mullock

2. A sterile stratum that lies above the stratum being investigated.