ob·li·gate
(ŏb′lĭ-gāt′)tr.v. ob·li·gat·ed,
ob·li·gat·ing,
ob·li·gates 1. To compel or constrain by a social, legal, or moral requirement. See Synonyms at
force.
2. To cause to be grateful or indebted; oblige: We will always be obligated to you for your kindness.
3. To commit (money, for example) in order to fulfill an obligation.
adj. (-gĭt, -gāt′) Able to exist or survive only in a particular environment or by assuming a particular role: an obligate parasite; an obligate anaerobe.
n. (-gĭt, -gāt′) An obligate organism.
[Latin obligāre, obligāt-; see oblige.]
ob′li·ga·ble (-gə-bəl) adj.
ob′li·gate·ly adv.
ob′li·ga′tor n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.