Standard Lemma guide

ligation

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /lɪˈɡeɪʃən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: L AY0 G EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Something that ties, a ligature.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The act of tying, of applying a ligature.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The state of having a ligature, of being tied.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The act of tying off or sealing a blood vessel, fallopian tube, etc during surgery; act of ligating.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: medicine, sciences, surgery

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The formation of a complex by reaction with a ligand.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: chemistry, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

(surgery) tying a duct or blood vessel with a ligature (as to prevent bleeding during surgery)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: tying, ligature

Narrower terms: tubal ligation

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin ligatio, ligationis, from Latin ligo. Doublet of liaison.

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: sidos — something that ties
  • Finnish: sidonta — something that ties
  • Finnish: sitominen — act of tying
  • Finnish: sidonta — act of tying
  • Norwegian: ligering — act of tying
  • Spanish: ligación — act of tying
  • Finnish: sidonta — state of being tied
  • Finnish: sidottuna oleminen — state of being tied
  • Finnish: sidotuksi tuleminen — state of being tied
  • Spanish: ligación — state of being tied
  • Finnish: tukkiminen — medicine: act of tying off or sealing a blood vessel, etc
  • Greek: απολίνωση (apolínosi) — medicine: act of tying off or sealing a blood vessel, etc
  • Indonesian: ligasi — medicine: act of tying off or sealing a blood vessel, etc
  • Indonesian: pengikatan — medicine: act of tying off or sealing a blood vessel, etc
  • Finnish: liitäntä — chemistry: formation of a complex by reaction with a ligand
  • Finnish: sidoksen muodostuminen — chemistry: formation of a complex by reaction with a ligand