Definition

1. Verb:
   • To tie or bind with a ligature or bandage: Specifically used in medical and surgical contexts to describe the act of tying off a blood vessel, duct, or other tubular structure.
   • To join or bind chemically: Used in biochemistry and molecular biology to describe the enzymatic joining of two molecules, such as DNA fragments.
   • To join letters in a ligature: In writing and typography, to connect characters (like 'fi' or 'fl') into a single glyph.

Usage Examples

• Verb (Medical Context):
  • The surgeon will ligate the bleeding vessel to control the hemorrhage.
  • It is crucial to ligate the duct securely during the procedure.
• Verb (Biochemical Context):
  • The enzyme DNA ligase is used to ligate the DNA strands.
  • Researchers ligate the gene fragment into the plasmid vector.
• Verb (Typography/Writing Context):
  • Some fonts ligate certain character pairs for aesthetic appeal.
  • In cursive writing, it is common to ligate letters.

Advanced Usage

• "to be ligated": Describes the state of having been tied or bound.
  • The artery was ligated to prevent further blood loss.
• "ligating": Used as a present participle or gerund to describe the ongoing action.
  • Ligating the vessel requires precision and skill.

Variants and Related Words

• Ligation (n): The act or process of ligating. In biochemistry, it refers to the joining of nucleic acid strands.
  • The ligation of the DNA fragments was successful.
  • Surgical ligation of the fallopian tubes is a permanent procedure.
• Ligature (n): The thread, wire, or band used for tying in surgery, or the character formed by joining letters.
  • The surgeon applied a ligature to the artery.
  • The typographic ligature for 'æ' is common in some languages.

Synonyms

• Tie off: To close by tying (common in medical contexts).
• Bind: To tie or fasten tightly.
• Suture: To stitch, especially in surgery (related but not identical, as suturing involves sewing, while ligating involves tying).

Related Phrases

• Ligate a vessel: The standard phrase for tying off a blood vessel.
  • The first step is to ligate the main vessel.
• Ligate DNA: The standard phrase for joining DNA fragments.
  • The next step in cloning is to ligate the DNA.

Notes on Meaning

The primary and most common use of "ligate" is in medical and biological sciences. Its use in typography is more specialized. The word implies a deliberate, often precise, act of joining or closing off.

Verb

1. bind with a bandage or ligature
   • ligate the artery
2. bind chemically
   • The enzyme ligated
3. join letters in a ligature when writing