ligature

[lig-uh-cher, -choo r]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ligature ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of binding or tying up: The ligature of the artery was done with skill.

anything that serves for binding or tying up, as a band, bandage, or cord.

a tie or bond: the ligature of mutual need that bound them together.

Printing, Orthography. a stroke or bar connecting two letters.

Printing. a character or type combining two or more letters, as ﬂ and ƕ.

Music.

slur.
a group of notes connected by a slur.
a metal band for securing the reed of a clarinet or saxophone to the mouthpiece.

Surgery. a thread or wire for constriction of blood vessels or for removing tumors by strangulation.

verb (used with object), lig·a·tured, lig·a·tur·ing.

to bind with a ligature; tie up; ligate.

Origin of ligature

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Late Latin word ligātūra. See ligate, -ure

Related formsun·lig·a·tured, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ligature

nexus, binding, bandage, rope, band, connection, yoke, knot, tie, bond, ligament

Examples from the Web for ligature

Contemporary Examples of ligature

The ligature around his neck corresponded to a fragment of ligature still attached to the shower curtain.
Boris Berezovsky and the Russian Money Problem
David Frum
March 30, 2013
He had scars on his stomach and buttocks, and ligature indentations on his wrists.
Florida Child Abuse Scandal: The Victim's New Life
Jacqui Goddard
February 24, 2011

Historical Examples of ligature

The old operation, or ligature of the gluteal artery in the hip.
A Manual of the Operations of Surgery
Joseph Bell
To illustrate this opinion, his work on the ligature may be taken.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 7
Various
When going to bleed at the ankle the ligature is to be applied at the knee.
Surgical Instruments in Greek and Roman Times
John Stewart Milne
To prevent any injury, the ligature should be brought away first, and then the catheter.
A System of Midwifery
Edward Rigby
Here a wounded officer was brought in for whom a ligature was wanted.
Saragossa
Benito Prez Galds

British Dictionary definitions for ligature

ligature

noun

the act of binding or tying up

something used to bind

a link, bond, or tie

surgery a thread or wire for tying around a vessel, duct, etc, as for constricting the flow of blood to a part

printing a character of two or more joined letters, such as, ﬂ, ﬃ, ﬄ

music

a slur or the group of notes connected by it
(in plainsong notation) a symbol indicating two or more notes grouped together

verb

(tr) to bind with a ligature; ligate

Word Origin for ligature

C14: from Late Latin ligātūra, ultimately from Latin 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

Word Origin and History for ligature

c.1400, "something used in tying or binding," from Middle French ligature (14c.), from Late Latin ligatura "a band," from Latin ligatus, past participle of ligare "to bind" (see ligament). In musical notation from 1590s; of letters joined in printing or writing from 1690s.

ligature in Medicine

ligature

[lĭg′ə-chur′, -chər]

n.

The act of tying or binding.

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

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