noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Something that ties, a ligature. countable, uncountable
2. 2
   (surgery) tying a duct or blood vessel with a ligature (as to prevent bleeding during surgery) wordnet
3. 3
   The act of tying, of applying a ligature. countable, uncountable
4. 4
   The state of having a ligature, of being tied. countable, uncountable
5. 5
   The act of tying off or sealing a blood vessel, fallopian tube, etc during surgery; act of ligating. countable, uncountable

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6. 6
   The formation of a complex by reaction with a ligand. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms

adhesiveaffixationannexationattachmentbindingbond

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin ligatio, ligationis, from Latin ligo. Doublet of liaison.

Related phrases

tubal ligation

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.