Definition

1. Verb:
   • To load or put cargo onto a vehicle or vessel: The primary meaning of "lade" is to fill or place a load onto something, such as a ship, truck, or cart.
   • To remove liquid with a ladle: A secondary, less common meaning is to remove a substance, typically a liquid, using a ladle or similar implement.

Usage and Examples

• Verb (to load):
  • The workers will lade the ship with grain before it departs.
  • It took hours to lade all the furniture onto the moving van.
• Verb (to remove with a ladle):
  • Please lade the soup into bowls for the guests.
  • He used a bucket to lade water out of the flooded basement.

Advanced Usage and Notes

• "Lade" is an irregular verb. Its common past tense is "laded", and its past participle can be either "laded" or "laden". "Laden" is frequently used as an adjective meaning "heavily loaded."
  • The ship was laded/laden with spices. (Past action)
  • The lorry moved slowly, laden with bricks. (Adjectival use)
• The meaning related to using a ladle is now largely archaic or very formal. The verb "ladle" is the more common and direct word for this action in modern English.

Variants and Related Words

• Laden (adj.): Heavily loaded or burdened.
  • The branches were laden with fruit.
• Lading (n.): Cargo; freight. (Most commonly seen in the legal/commercial term "bill of lading").
• Ladle (n./v.): A large, long-handled spoon for serving soup or stew; to serve or transfer with such a spoon.
  • She ladled stew into the bowls.

Synonyms

• Load: To put a load on or in.
• Freight: To load with goods for transport.
• Stow: To pack or store away.
• Ladle (for the second meaning): To dip and convey liquid.

Antonyms

• Unload: To remove a load from.
• Discharge: To unload cargo or passengers.
• Empty: To remove the contents of.

Phrasal Verbs

• Lade out: An archaic phrasal verb meaning to ladle out or distribute.
  • The cook laded out portions of porridge to the sailors.

Verb

1. fill or place a load on
   • load a car
   • load the truck with hay
2. remove with or as if with a ladle
   • ladle the water out of the bowl