ligature

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ligature

/ˈlɪɡət͡ʃɚ/ US

Where it comes from

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

noun ligatures

uncountable The act of tying or binding something.
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
countable, uncountable A thread or wire used to remove tumours, etc.
countable, uncountable The state of being bound or stiffened; stiffness. the ligature of a joint
countable A character or glyph that visually combines multiple letters, often those of a digraph (such as æ, œ, ß or ĳ) but sometimes also others (such as ﬁ or ﬂ). (In English and various other languages, such characters and glyphs are not necessary to write or type in the standard orthography, but there are traditions of using them for aesthetic reasons.) Near-synonym: logotype (not always differentiated)
Similar: typographic ligature, logotype
countable, uncountable A linker word that is classified as a separate part of speech, usually present in Philippine languages.
countable A group of notes played as a phrase, or the curved line that indicates such a phrase.
countable, uncountable A curve or line connecting notes; a slur.
countable A piece used to hold a reed to the mouthpiece on woodwind instruments.
countable, uncountable Any binding, uniting, or restraining principle or agency.
countable, uncountable A spell or charm that induces sexual impotence. The Roman epic poet Vergil refers to the incapacitating effects of ligatures, while Ovid, the erotic poet, admits the power of such spell-bindings.

verb ligatures · ligaturing · ligatured

To ligate; to tie.

Translations

Every language

noun act of tying

Português	ligação
Italiano	legatura
Ελληνικά	δεσμός desmós
Română	legare, legătură
Русский	лигату́ра ligatúra

noun cord or similar used to tie something

Română	frânghie, șnur, sfoară, funie

noun typography: character that combines multiple letters

Español	ligadura
한국어	합자 hapja
日本語	合字 gōji
中文	合字 hézì
हिन्दी	संयुक्ताक्षर sãyuktākṣar
Português	ligatura
Français	ligature
Deutsch	Ligatur
Italiano	logotipo, legatura
Ελληνικά	λιγκατούρα ligkatoúra
Română	ligatură
Русский	лигату́ра ligatúra, вязь vjazʹ

noun music: group of notes played as a musical phrase

Español	ligadura
Deutsch	Ligatur
Ελληνικά	λιγκατούρα ligkatoúra
Русский	лигату́ра ligatúra

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Cite this

MLA

"ligature." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ligature. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

ligature. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ligature

Chicago

"ligature." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ligature.

BibTeX

@misc{ligature_2026,
  title = {ligature},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ligature},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}