ligature

From Middle English ligature, from Middle French ligature, from Late Latin ligātūra, from Latin ligātus, past participle of ligāre (“to tie, bind”).

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈlɪɡət͡ʃɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

ligature (countable and uncountable, plural ligatures)

1. (uncountable) The act of tying or binding something.
2. (countable) A cord or similar thing used to tie something; especially the thread used in surgery to close a vessel or duct.

   anti-ligature clothing

   (in psychiatry) clothing that prevents one from using it to tie knots

   • 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Author Gives Some Account of Himself and Family, His First Inducements to Travel. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part I (A Voyage to Lilliput), page 7:

     I likewiſe felt ſeveral ſlender Ligatures acroſs my Body, from my Armpits to my Thighs. I could only look upwards, the Sun began to grow hot, and the Light offended mine Eyes.

   • 2018, Eli Rosenberg, “She stalked the Golden State Killer until she died. Some think her work led to the suspect’s arrest”, in The Washington Post:

     He hid shoelaces or rope under cushions to use as ligatures.

3. A thread or wire used to remove tumours, etc.
4. The state of being bound or stiffened; stiffness.

   the ligature of a joint

5. (countable, typography) A character that visually combines multiple letters, such as æ, œ, ß or ij; also logotype. Sometimes called a typographic ligature.

   Meronym: ligand

6. (countable, music) A group of notes played as a phrase, or the curved line that indicates such a phrase.
7. (music) A curve or line connecting notes; a slur.
8. (countable) A piece used to hold a reed to the mouthpiece on woodwind instruments.
9. (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) Impotence caused by magic or charms.^[1]

• ligature point

ligature (third-person singular simple present ligatures, present participle ligaturing, simple past and past participle ligatured)

1. (surgery) To ligate; to tie.

• Gualteri, alurgite, Lartigue

Inherited from Middle French ligature, from Late Latin ligātūra, from Latin ligātus, past participle of ligō (“tie, bind”). Compare the popular Old French liüre.

• IPA^(key): /li.ɡa.tyʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

ligature f (plural ligatures)

1. a tie; the action of tying
2. a binding, notably in horticulture
3. ligature; a character that combines multiple letters; logotype

• ligaturer

• lier

• “ligature”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• lugerait
• régulait

ligātūre

1. vocative masculine singular of ligātūrus

Borrowed from Middle French ligature, itself borrowed from Late Latin ligātūra. Doublet of lyoure.

• IPA^(key): /liˈɡaːtiu̯r(ə)/

ligature (plural ligatures)

1. bandage, dressing
2. (rare) ligament

• English: ligature

• “ligātūre, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.