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obligate - 7 dictionary results

ob⋅li⋅gate

  [v. ob-li-geyt; adj. ob-li-git, -geyt] verb -gat⋅ed, -gat⋅ing, adjective
Use obligate in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
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.
–adjective
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 ).
Origin:
1400–50; late ME obligat (adj.) < L obligātus (ptp. of obligāre to bind), equiv. to ob- ob- + ligātus; see ligate

Related forms:
ob⋅li⋅ga⋅ble  [ob-li-guh-buhl] , adjective
ob⋅li⋅ga⋅tor, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To obligate
ob·li·gate   (ŏb'lĭ-gāt')   
tr.v.   ob·li·gat·ed, ob·li·gat·ing, ob·li·gates
  1. To bind, compel, or constrain by a social, legal, or moral tie. See Synonyms at force.
  2. To cause to be grateful or indebted; oblige.
  3. To commit (money, for example) in order to fulfill an obligation.
adj.   (-gĭt, -gāt')
  1. Biology Able to exist or survive only in a particular environment or by assuming a particular role: an obligate parasite; an obligate anaerobe.
  2. Absolutely indispensable; essential.

[Latin obligāre, obligāt-; see oblige.]
ob'li·ga·ble (-gə-bəl) adj., ob'li·gate·ly adv., ob'li·ga'tor n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Obligate

Ob"li*gate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Obligated; p. pr. & vb. n. Obligating.] [L. obligatus, p. p. of obligare. See Oblige.]

1. To bring or place under obligation, moral or legal; to hold by a constraining motive. "Obligated by a sense of duty." --Proudfit.

That's your true plan -- to obligate The present ministers of state. --Churchill.

2. To bind or firmly hold to an act; to compel; to constrain; to bind to any act of duty or courtesy by a formal pledge.

That they may not incline or be obligated to any vile or lowly occupations. --Landor.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Main Entry: ob·li·gate
Pronunciation: 'ä-bl&-"gAt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: -gat·ed; -gat·ing
1 : to bind legally or morally obligated to pay child support>
2 : to commit (as funds or property) to meet or provide security for an obligation —oblig·a·to·ry /&-'bli-g&-"tOr-E/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Main Entry: ob·li·gate
Pronunciation: 'äb-li-g&t, -l&-"gAt
Function: adjective
1 : restricted to one particularlycharacteristic mode of life or way of functioning obligate nose breather —Journal of the American Medical Association> obligate parasite>
2 : biologically essential for survival <obligate parasitism> —ob·li·gate·ly adverb
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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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.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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obligate   (ŏb'lĭ-gĭt, -gāt')  Pronunciation Key 
Capable of existing only in a particular environment or by assuming a particular role. An obligate aerobe, such as certain bacteria, can live only in the presence of oxygen. An obligate parasite cannot survive independently of its host. Compare facultative.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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