ligate

[ lahy-geyt ]

/ ˈlaɪ geɪt /

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verb (used with object), li·gat·ed, li·gat·ing.

to bind with or as if with a ligature; tie up (a bleeding artery or the like).

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Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of ligate

1590–1600; <Latin ligātus (past participle of ligāre to tie, bind); see -ate¹

Words nearby ligate

ligamentous, ligamentum, ligan, ligand, ligase, ligate, ligation, ligature, ligeance, liger, Ligeti

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ligate in a sentence

If the bleeding cannot otherwise be arrested it may be necessary to ligate the external carotid artery.
Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities--Head--Neck. Sixth Edition.|Alexander Miles
If profuse hæmorrhage occurs it may be necessary to ligate the main artery lower in the neck.
Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities--Head--Neck. Sixth Edition.|Alexander Miles
Medical authorities tell him to do coeliotomy at once, ligate the uterine and ovarian arteries, and remove the foetus.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley
Among the Islanders they sometimes ligate the prepuce so that it drops off.
History of Circumcision from the Earliest Times to the Present|Peter Charles Remondino

I know there are professors in this country who "ligate" arteries.
Medical Essays|Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

British Dictionary definitions for ligate

ligate

/ (ˈlaɪɡeɪt) /

verb

(tr) to tie up or constrict (something) with a ligature

Derived forms of ligate

ligation, nounligative (ˈlɪɡətɪv), adjective

Word Origin for ligate

C16: from Latin ligātus, from ligāre to bind

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012