verb -gat⋅ed, -gat⋅ing, adjective | 1. | to bind or oblige morally or legally: to obligate oneself to purchase a building. |
| 2. | to pledge, commit, or bind (funds, property, etc.) to meet an obligation. |
| 3. | morally or legally bound; obliged; constrained. |
| 4. | necessary; essential. |
| 5. | Biology. restricted to a particular condition of life, as certain organisms that can survive only in the absence of oxygen: obligate anaerobe (opposed to facultative ). |
ob·li·gate (ŏb'lĭ-gāt') tr.v. ob·li·gat·ed, ob·li·gat·ing, ob·li·gates
[Latin obligāre, obligāt-; see oblige.] ob'li·ga·ble (-gə-bəl) adj., ob'li·gate·ly adv., ob'li·ga'tor n. |
obligate ob·li·gate (ŏb'lĭ-gĭt, -gāt')
adj.
Able to exist or survive only in a particular environment or by assuming a particular role.