ligature
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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.
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.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin ligātūra, from Latin ligātus, past participle of ligāre, to bind; see leig- in Indo-European roots.]
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.
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]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
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.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ligature
Past participle: ligatured
Gerund: ligaturing
| Imperative |
|---|
| ligature |
| ligature |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new 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) | |
| 5. |  ligature - something used to tie or bind ligament - any connection or unifying bond | |
| 6. |  ligature - the act of tying or binding things togetherfastening, attachment - the act of fastening things together ligation - (surgery) tying a duct or blood vessel with a ligature (as to prevent bleeding during surgery) |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
ligature
nounThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
ligaturaslitek
kettős betűlekötésligatura
ligatuur
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
ligature
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
lig·a·ture
n. ligadura; acción o proceso de ligar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012