Other forms: unburdened, unburdening, unburdens
To unburden is to lighten your own mind by pouring out troubles. Unburden yourself, unburdened himself at last, need to unburden.
It is nearly always reflexive, so you unburden yourself rather than unburdening anything else. It is about relief rather than disclosure, which is why it can be done to a stranger on a train.
1verbunburdenTo lighten your own mind by pouring out troubles that weigh on you, rather than by sharing a secret.
“She unburdened herself to her sister, telling her all about her money worries.”
unburden is a unloading.
Proto-Indo-European
*bʰer- — to carry, bear
Proto-Germanic
*burþį̄
Proto-West Germanic
*burþini
Old English
byrden
Middle English
birthene
English
burden
English, today
unburden
From un- + burden. burden Middle English birthene, birthen, birden, from Old English byrden, byrþen, from Proto-West Germanic burþini, from burþī, from Proto-Germanic burþį̄, from Proto-Indo-European bʰer- (“to carry, bear”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA