To burden, hinder, or encumber someone with excessive weight or difficulty.
From 'be-' (meaning to cause or surround) plus 'cumber' (from Old French 'combrer', meaning to obstruct or confuse). The 'be-' prefix emphasizes the thorough burdening of someone.
The word 'cumbersome' comes from the same root 'cumber,' and it's related to 'comb' (the word came from an Old French root meaning to mess up or tangle), so something 'becumbered' is tangled up and weighted down with burdens, which is exactly what 'cumbersome' still means.
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