ligament

[lig-uh-muhnt]

noun

1. Anatomy, Zoology.,  a band of tissue, usually white and fibrous, serving to connect bones, hold organs in place, etc.

2. a tie or bond.

   The desire for personal freedom is a ligament uniting all peoples.

ligament

/ ˈlɪɡəmənt /

noun

1. anatomy any one of the bands or sheets of tough fibrous connective tissue that restrict movement in joints, connect various bones or cartilages, support muscles, etc

2. any physical or abstract connection or bond

ligament

1. A sheet or band of tough fibrous tissue that connects two bones or holds an organ of the body in place.

ligament

1. A kind of fibrous connective tissue that binds bones or cartilage together.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ligament¹

1375–1425; late Middle English < Medieval Latin ligāmentum, Latin: bandage, equivalent to ligā ( re ) to tie + -mentum -ment

Word History and Origins

Origin of ligament¹

C14: from Medieval Latin ligāmentum, from Latin (in the sense: bandage), from ligāre to bind

Example Sentences

When Loyola High defensive lineman Andrew Hilton broke his fibula and suffered ligament damage to his ankle during the opening week of football practice last August, things looked bleak.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He fired 34 more pitches, with seemingly no regard for the condition of the ligaments in his elbow or the tendons in his shoulder.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A common complaint has been female players having to use men's boots, which have been linked to the spate of serious knee ligament injuries in the WSL.

Read more on BBC

England forward Michelle Agyemang has confirmed she has ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament and will miss the rest of the season.

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With a torn medial collateral ligament in his right leg and a strained knee and torn hamstring in his left, it was unlikely he’d be able to drive the ball.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• association 
• channel 
• contact 
• element 
• hookup 
• network 
• relationship 
• tie