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DictionaryRoot: ligare
Latin

ligare

bind or tie

Forms

  • ligare
  • ligat- — The form used for completed action.
  • -lig- — A form retained in compounds.

Origin

From an old Indo-European family of binding words.

Note

A bond can be a physical tie or an obligation.

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At a medical model table, a tough pale band stretches between two bones at a bent knee joint, visibly holding the joint together.
noun

ligament

LIG-uh-ment/ˈlɪɡəmənt/

A tough band of tissue that connects or supports body structures, especially at a joint.

Etymology
ligaLatinbind or tie
+mentLatina means, result, or product

The pieces describe a means of binding: Latin ligamentum meant a band, bandage, or tie. The anatomical meaning applies that image to tissue that binds bones together.

Full entry

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