ligature

lig·a·ture  (lg-chr, -chr) n. 1. The act of tying or binding. 2. a. A cord, wire, or bandage used for tying or binding. b. A thread, wire, or cord used in surgery to close vessels or tie off ducts. c. Something that unites; a bond. 3. A character, letter, or type, such as æ, combining two or more letters. 4. Music a. A group of notes intended to be played or sung as one phrase. b. A curved line indicating such a phrase; a slur. c. A passage of notes sung by repeating the same syllable. d. A metal band that attaches the reed to the mouthpiece of the clarinet and related instruments. tr.v. lig·a·tured, lig·a·tur·ing, lig·a·tures To ligate. [Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin ligtra, from Latin ligtus, past participle of ligre, to bind; see leig- in Indo-European roots.]

ligature opening notes of "The Star-Spangled Banner"

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ligature

Noun

1. a link, bond, or tie

2. Printing a character of two or more joined letters, such as ff

3. Music a slur or the group of notes connected by it

Verb

[-turing, -tured]

to bind with a ligature [Latin ligare to bind]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	ligature - (music) a group of notes connected by a slur music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner musical phrase, phrase - a short musical passage
	2.	ligature - character consisting of two or more letters combined into one grapheme, graphic symbol, character - a written symbol that is used to represent speech; "the Greek alphabet has 24 characters"
	3.	ligature - a metal band used to attach a reed to the mouthpiece of a clarinet or saxophone band - a restraint put around something to hold it together
	4.	ligature - thread used by surgeons to bind a vessel (as to constrict the flow of blood) thread, yarn - a fine cord of twisted fibers (of cotton or silk or wool or nylon etc.) used in sewing and weaving
	5.	ligature - something used to tie or bind binder ligament - any connection or unifying bond
	6.	ligature - the act of tying or binding things together tying fastening, attachment - the act of fastening things together ligation - (surgery) tying a duct or blood vessel with a ligature (as to prevent bleeding during surgery)