ligature

ligature

In writing, a ligature is a combination of two or more letters joined into a single unit. There were many ligatures used in English at one time, formed to make typesetting easier (known as typographical ligatures), but these were all discarded as printing became easier and less expensive. However, there are two other ligatures that originated in Latin and were carried over into English as distinct letters: Æ (in lowercase, æ) and Œ (in lowercase, œ).

While these two letters were eventually divided in modern English (and eventually reduced to just E/e in American English), there is another Latin ligature that is used in English today: & (known as an ampersand).

Finally, there is one other ligature that arose as Latin evolved over time and is now a part of the modern English alphabet: W.

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ligature

opening notes of "The Star-Spangled Banner"

lig·a·ture

 (lĭg′ə-cho͝or′, -chər)

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 unit of 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.

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[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin ligātūra, from Latin ligātus, past participle of ligāre, to bind; see leig- in Indo-European roots.]

ligature

(ˈlɪɡətʃə; -ˌtʃʊə)

n

1. the act of binding or tying up

2. something used to bind

3. a link, bond, or tie

4. (Surgery) surgery a thread or wire for tying around a vessel, duct, etc, as for constricting the flow of blood to a part

5. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) printing a character of two or more joined letters, such as fl, ffi, ffl

6. (Classical Music) music

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

b. (in plainsong notation) a symbol indicating two or more notes grouped together

vb

(tr) to bind with a ligature; ligate

[C14: from Late Latin ligātūra, ultimately from Latin ligāre to bind]

lig•a•ture

(ˈlɪg ə tʃər, -ˌtʃʊər)

n., v. -tured, -tur•ing. n.

1. the act of binding or tying up.

2. anything that serves for binding or tying up, as a band, bandage, or cord.

3. a tie or bond.

4. a stroke or bar connecting two letters.

5. a character or type combining two or more letters, as fl and ffl.

6. a group of musical notes connected by a slur.

7. a thread or wire for surgical constriction of blood vessels or for removing tumors by strangulation.

v.t.

8. to bind with a ligature; tie up; ligate.

[1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin ligātūra. See ligate, -ure]

ligature

Past participle: ligatured
Gerund: ligaturing

Imperative

ligature

ligature

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)

ligature

noun

That which unites or binds:

bond, knot, ligament, link, nexus, tie, vinculum, yoke.

Translations

ligaturaslitek

Ligatur

ligadura

ligature

kettős betűlekötésligatura

lacciolegaturalogotipo

ligatuur

ligatura

лигатура

ligature

[ˈlɪgətʃəʳ] N (Med, Mus) → ligadura f (Typ) → ligado m

ligature

n (Med, Mus, Typ) → Ligatur f; (= bandage) → Binde f; (Med: = thread/cord) → Abbindungsschnur f → /-draht m

lig·a·ture

n. ligadura; acción o proceso de ligar.