ligate

L1I1G2A1T1E1
/ˈlɪɡeɪt/

verb

To bind with a ligature or bandage.

OriginLatin ligātus →
RareScrabble 7
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Meanings

verbligate (third-person singular simple present ligates, present participle ligating, simple past and past participle ligated)

present singular third person ligates · participle present ligating · participle past ligated · past ligated

  1. transitiveTo bind with a ligature or bandage.
  2. transitivemediaTo connect text characters with a ligature.
  3. ambitransitivechemistryTo join by ligation.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
colligate

Origin

  1. Latinligātus
  2. Englishligate

First attested in 1599; borrowed from Latin ligātus, perfect passive participle of ligō (“to bind”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of legato. Compare league.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch afbinden
  • afbindento bind with a ligature or bandage
Finnish ligeerata
  • ligeeratato bind with a ligature or bandage
Italian legare
  • legareto bind with a ligature or bandage
Polish bandażować, zabandażować
  • bandażowaćto bind with a ligature or bandage
  • zabandażowaćto bind with a ligature or bandage
  • obandażowaćto bind with a ligature or bandage
Spanish ligar
  • ligarto bind with a ligature or bandage

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

gelatiaiglet
Cite this entry
APA

ligate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ligate

MLA

“ligate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ligate. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ligate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ligate.

Source: ligate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.