ligada

Ligada is the feminine singular past participle and adjective derived from the Portuguese verb ligar, meaning to bind, join, connect, or turn on. As an adjective, ligada agrees with feminine nouns and describes something that is connected, attached, or associated. Its usage is broad, covering everyday objects, social relations, and technical or scientific contexts.

In everyday language, ligada often denotes a state resulting from an action of connecting or turning on. For example, a lâmpada está ligada (the lamp is on), a máquina está ligada à rede (the machine is connected to the network). It can also describe affiliation or involvement, as in pessoas ligadas a uma empresa (people connected to a company) or atividades ligadas ao crime (activities linked to crime).

In technical and scientific contexts, ligada is used to describe bound or associated states. For instance, moléculas ligadas a um substrato, proteínas ligadas a um receptor, or enzima ligada a um cofator. The term conveys that one component is chemically or functionally connected to another.

Grammatically, ligada contrasts with masculine forms such as ligado, and with plural ligados or ligadas, depending on the noun it modifies. Related terms include ligação (link or bond), desligar (to turn off or disconnect), and ligação direta (direct connection). The concept is central to discussions of connectivity, association, and activation in Portuguese.