Load vs lode
Load and lode are two words that are pronounced in the same manner but are spelled differently and have different meanings. They are homophones. We will examine the difference between the definitions of load and lode, where these words came from and some examples of their use in sentences.
Load describes a burden of something that must be carried or transported, a measure of the amount of something that fits in a conveyance to be carried or transported, the amount of work to be accomplished, the charge of powder contained in a bullet. Load is used as a noun and as a transitive verb, which is a verb that takes an object. Related words are loads, loaded, loading. The word load is derived from the Old English word lād which means a journey or a conveyance.
A lode is a vein of metallic ore that is situated in the Earth. Lode is also used figuratively to mean an abundant source of something. The word lode is a noun, it is also derived from the the Old English word lād, in the sense of a course that is to be followed, such as a watercourse or a vein of metallic ore.
"If you want to put it in one succinct word, it's growth" that's driving the increased call load for firefighters, said Bozeman Fire Chief Josh Waldo. (The Bozeman Daily Chronicle)
Fans heading to the Manchester derby tonight are being warned there's long delays of up to an hour on the M6 after a lorry shed its load on the carriageway in Cheshire. (The Manchester Evening News)
Gold Hill Colorado was the site of some of the first placer and lode gold discoveries made in the wilderness of the Snowy Range during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush. (The Mountain-Ear)
The company that returned gold and silver mining to the Comstock Lode has made a discovery reminiscent of the bonanza ore deposits that made the area world famous more than a century ago. (USA Today)