WordGarden.ioligate
C2Pronunciation
UK
US
Meanings
Verb
to tie off a blood vessel, duct, or similar structure with a ligature
to join DNA, RNA, or similar molecules together by ligation
Beyond the definition
To ligate something means to tie it off or bind it tightly. The word is used most often in medicine: a surgeon may ligate a blood vessel to stop bleeding or close a duct during an operation. It also appears in biology, where scientists ligate pieces of DNA by joining them into one strand.
The word comes from the Latin ligare, meaning "to bind." It can describe fastening in a broader sense, but in modern English it is mainly a technical word used in surgery and laboratory work.
Ligate is a technical word that means to bind, tie off, or join something securely. In modern English, it is most strongly linked to medicine. A doctor may ligate a blood vessel during surgery to stop bleeding, or ligate a duct or tube as part of a procedure. In this setting, the idea is not just "to tie," but to close something firmly and on purpose.
The word also has an important use in molecular biology. Scientists ligate DNA fragments when they join separate pieces of DNA into a longer strand. This is usually done with enzymes called ligases, which help form the chemical bonds that connect the pieces. In that context, the word keeps the same basic sense of binding things together, but the action happens at a microscopic level rather than with thread or cord.
The word comes from the Latin ligare, meaning "to bind," and it is related to the noun ligature. Older or broader uses can refer to fastening or binding things in general, but that is not the main way the word appears today. Most of the time, if you see ligate, it is being used in a medical or scientific setting where something is being tied off, closed, or joined in a precise way.
Examples
- 1
Surgery
The surgeon ligated the bleeding artery before closing the wound.
- 2
Sterilization
During the sterilization procedure, the doctor ligated the patient's fallopian tubes.
- 3
Genetics lab
In the lab, the team ligated two DNA fragments and copied the new sequence.
See also
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- ligateverb