onus
/ˈoʊnəs/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.99 in modern English
4
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "The onus is on the landlord to make sure the walls are protected from mildew."
- "The argument is founded on a principle which is now acknowledged to be universal; and the onus of disproof must lie with those who may be bold enough to take up the position that a region exists where at last the Principle of Continuity fails."
- "Geraldine evades the onus of ambition by subordinating it to the service of her family, and escapes the onus of sexuality by bodily mutilation"
- "He'll always bear the onus of having caused the accident."
- "... what might be called "onus-shifting" — each side trying to make a record and place blame on the other for the division of Europe and the Cold War itself."
- "The onus is on those who disagree with my proposal to explain why."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₃en(H)- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₃én(H)os Proto-Italic *onos Latin onuslbor. English onus Learned borrowing from Latin onus (literally “burden”).
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈoʊnəs/
- British English: /ˈəʊnəs/