belast

The story

1. Old English · derived frombehlæstan“to load a ship”
2. Middle English · derived frombelasten
3. Middle English · inherited frombelast
4. English todaybelast

From Middle English belast, belest, bilast (“charged with an obligation, bound”), past participle of Middle English belasten, bilasten, from Old English behlæstan (“to load a ship”), equivalent to be- + last. Cognate with Dutch belasten (“to charge, load, burden, tax”), German belasten (“to burden, charge, load, strain”).