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ligature

 [lig-uh-cher, -choor]   Origin

lig·a·ture

   [lig-uh-cher, -choor] noun, verb, lig·a·tured, lig·a·tur·ing.
noun
1.
the act of binding or tying up: The ligature of the artery was done with skill.
2.
anything that serves for binding or tying up, as a band, bandage, or cord.
3.
a tie or bond: the ligature of mutual need that bound them together.
4.
Printing, Orthography. a stroke or bar connecting two letters.
5.
Printing. a character or type combining two or more letters, as fl and ƕ.
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6.
Music.
a.
slur.
b.
a group of notes connected by a slur.
c.
a metal band for securing the reed of a clarinet or saxophone to the mouthpiece.
7.
Surgery. a thread or wire for constriction of blood vessels or for removing tumors by strangulation.
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verb (used with object)
8.
to bind with a ligature; tie up; ligate.

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Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin ligātūra. See ligate, -ure

Related forms
un·lig·a·tured, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To ligature
Collins
World English Dictionary
ligature (ˈlɪɡətʃə, -ˌtʃʊə)
 
—n
1.  the act of binding or tying up
2.  something used to bind
3.  a link, bond, or tie
4.  surgery a thread or wire for tying around a vessel, duct, etc, as for constricting the flow of blood to a part
5.  printing a character of two or more joined letters, such as, fl, ffi, ffl
6.  music
 a.  a slur or the group of notes connected by it
 b.  (in plainsong notation) a symbol indicating two or more notes grouped together
 
—vb
7.  (tr) to bind with a ligature; ligate
 
[C14: from Late Latin ligātūra, ultimately from Latin ligāre to bind]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

ligature
c.1400, "something used in tying or binding," from O.Fr. ligature, from L.L. ligatura "a band," from L. ligatus, pp. of ligare "to bind" (see ligament).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

ligature lig·a·ture (lĭg'ə-ch&oobreve;r', -chər)
n.

  1. The act of tying or binding.

  2. A cord, wire, or bandage used for tying or binding.

  3. A thread, wire, or cord used in surgery to close vessels or tie off ducts.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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