obligat

Obligat is a Latin verb form meaning “he binds” or “he obligates.” It is the third-person singular present active indicative of the verb obligare, which means to obligate, bind, or commit. The verb belongs to the first conjugation; the present stem is oblig-, and the standard ending for the third-person singular is -at. The infinitive is obligare, the perfect active is obligavi, and the supine is obligatum.

Etymology: obligat derives from ob- “toward, against” plus ligare “to bind,” with the sense of binding by obligation or law. The related noun obligatio means “obligation.” English cognates include obligate, obligation, and obligatory, all tracing back to the same Latin root.

Usage and sense: In classical Latin, obligat appears in legal, moral, and rhetorical contexts to denote an act of binding or an obligation imposed on someone. It can express that someone imposes a binding duty or that something binds someone in law or obligation. As a Latin form, obligat is primarily encountered in textual studies, translations, or linguistic discussions rather than in everyday English.

Modern note: The form obligat is not used as a standalone English word; in English, the corresponding forms are obligate, obligatory, and obligation. Latin grammars and lexica record obligat as a standard present-tense form with the meanings described above.

See also: Obligation, Obligation (legal), Obligatio, Obligatus, Obligatorius.