load-bearing

See also: loadbearing and load bearing

English

Alternative forms

• load bearing

Adjective

load-bearing (not comparable)

1. (chiefly construction and civil engineering) Able to support a load.
   • 1908, Frederick E. Turneaure, Editor-in-Chief, Cyclopedia of Civil Engineering

     The different forms of partitions that are not load-bearing will be considered under "Fireproofing."

   • 1958, Australian Atomic Energy Commission, Australian Atomic Energy Symposium, 1958: Proceedings of a Symposium on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in Australia:

     The reactor units each called for a circular pit over 300ft. in diameter, excavated to a depth of 20ft. to reach a suitable load-bearing stratum.

   • 2001, Akram F. Khater, Inventing Home: Emigration, Gender, and the Middle Class in Lebanon, 1870-1920:

     Alternating sandstone and limestone (the limestone being used in façades exposed to the winter rains or in more load-bearing areas) created a most pleasing decorative effect.

   • 2004, G. R. Evans, The First Christian Theologians, an Introduction to Theology in the Early Church:

     It was in baptism (and in consequence in penance) that the theologically most load-bearing aspects of the liturgical life of the Church were concentrated.

2. (figurative) Of a physical, digital, procedural etc. component, necessary to the integrity of the system of which it forms a part.

Translations

able to support a load

• Finnish: kantava (fi)
• Georgian: მზიდი (mzidi)
• Spanish: de soporte, de carga, sostenedor (es), aguantacargas, portacargas

Noun

load-bearing (uncountable)

1. The carrying of loads.
   • 1904, Morley Roberts, A Tramp's Note-book:

     The porters, who stand in knots with cords upon their shoulders, bear huge loads; a characteristic of the place is this load-bearing and the size of the burdens.

   • 1955, National Research Council (U.S.) Building Research Institute, Modular Measure: The Edited Papers and Discussions of a Research Correlation Conference Entitled Modular Coordination: Its Value in Contemporary Building, Conducted by the Building Research Institute

     Since we do not need walls for load-bearing, the storage walls do not have to have any special thickness.

   • 2006, David Lowe, Surgical Pathology Revision:

     A common degenerative joint disease that involves synovial joints only with recurrent or abnormal load-bearing on normal cartilage or normal load-bearing on weakened cartilage, or both.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:load-bearing.