oblig

Oblig is not a standard English word. It is primarily encountered as an abbreviation or truncation linked to the noun obligation or the adjective obligatory, and it appears mainly in specialized contexts such as legal drafting, contract administration, and linguistic annotation. When used, it is typically written as oblig. with a period.

Etymology: The shortened form oblig traces to the same root as obligation and obligatory, which come from the Latin obligatio meaning a binding. The root itself derives from ob- “toward” and ligare “to bind.” The truncated form follows common practice of shortening longer words to a stem for notes, tables, or quick references.

Usage: In legal and financial documents, oblig. may appear to indicate an obligation or an obligatory item in notes, schedules, or bibliographies. In multilingual or technical texts, related terms exist in the same family of words, though abbreviations vary by language and style guide. In standard English prose, oblig is rarely used outside such contexts, and writers generally prefer the full forms obligation or obligatory.

Relation to other terms: Oblig is connected to the verbs and nouns oblige, obligation, and obligatory, all conveying the sense of a duty, requirement, or binding commitment.

See also: Obligation, Obligatory, Oblige.