ligatus

Ligatus is a Latin participle and adjective meaning bound, tied, or fastened. It is formed from the verb ligare, “to bind,” with the suffix -atus, yielding ligatus (masculine), ligata (feminine), and ligatum (neuter). In classical Latin, ligatus describes both physical binding of objects and figurative binding, such as obligations or oaths.

As a perfect passive participle, ligatus functions as an adjective that agrees with its noun in gender, number, and case. It is commonly used to indicate something that has been tied or secured, or someone who is bound by a vow or contract. In legal and rhetorical contexts, ligatus can convey the sense of obligation or constraint imposed by law, promise, or treaty, as well as literal restraint.

In Latin literature and documentary Latin, the term appears in various constructions to express binding in both concrete and abstract senses. Its semantic range includes things physically secured (for example, a bound bundle or restrained object) as well as commitments and obligations that bind a person or a contract.

Derivatives and influence: The root lig- from ligare lives on in modern vocabulary. English derivatives such as ligature (a binding or joining of materials, and in typography, a glyph formed by joining two letters) and ligation (the act of tying or binding) derive from related Latin forms and concepts, though not always directly from ligatus itself. The form ligatus remains primarily of historical and linguistic interest in Latin studies.

See also: ligature, ligation, ligate, Latin grammar, Latin participles.