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Glite Dictionary
dead load

dead load

6.9
Permanent weight that a building or bridge has and that does not change
  • noun
  • /dɛd loʊd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : carga muerta
  • The engineer calculated the dead load of the building to ensure it could support the weight of its own materials.

Examples

  • "The World Trade Center was designed as a tubular structure with the exterior walls carrying the vertical and horizontal dead loads," Gewain said.

    Academic text (2001)

  • To determine safety, the architect assessed the dead load of the roofing materials before construction began.

  • A proper evaluation of the dead load is crucial for the stability of any large structure.

Synonyms

weight
vsdead load
789 1.0

A measurement that shows how heavy something is

is specifically the structure's permanent self mass rather than a general measurement
loading
vsdead load
  • Specialized
4 3.2

The weight a structure or vehicle supports

is the permanent part of the supported force not temporary or moving

Antonyms

live load
  • Specialized
6.1

A weight on a structure that changes, like people or vehicles

How Heavy

overload
30 4.4
superload
  • Specialized
8.4
dead load
  • Specialized
6.9
loading
  • Specialized
4 3.2

Surface Forms

dead load singular
dead loads plural

Morphology

dead + load

The phrase is largely compositional: 'dead' here conveys non-moving or permanent, and 'load' denotes weight, so a learner who knows both words can infer a non-moving or permanent weight. However, the precise technical sense (i.e., the permanent weight of the structure excluding temporary or live loads) is specialized and not fully predictable for a B1 learner, so the item is only partially transparent.

Etymology

The term dead load comes from building work: dead here means 'fixed' or 'not moving' and load means 'weight', so it names the weight of the structure itself that is always there and must be carried.