▪ I. † ligate, a. Obs. rare—0.
[ad. L. ligāt-us, pa. pple. of ligāre to bind.]
‘Bound, tied’.
| 1604 in R. Cawdrey Table Alph. |
▪ II. ligate, v. Chiefly Surg.
(ˈlaɪgeɪt)
[f. L. ligāt-, ppl. stem of ligāre to bind.]
trans. To bind with a ligature or bandage; spec. in Surg., to tie up (a bleeding artery or vessel).
| 1599 A. M. tr. Gabelhouer's Bk. Physicke 37/1 Open a blacke Henne on her backe, applye and also ligate her on his head. 1775 New Hampsh. Prov. Papers (1873) VII. 652 He..was at that time even destitute of a needle to ligate a bleeding vessell. 1896 Treves Syst. Surg. I. 540 When a surgeon is ligating an artery. 1899 Allbutt's Syst. Med. VI. 244 If..the superior mesenteric artery be ligated. |
| fig. c 1600 Timon iii. v, Let it be lawfull for me..to ligate and obligate your eares with my words. |
Hence ˈligated ppl. a., tied with a ligature; (of letters) united in a ligature; ˈligating vbl. n. Also liˈgator, ‘an instrument to place and fasten a ligature’ (Knight Dict. Mech. Suppl. 1884).
| 1597 A. M. tr. Guillemeau's Fr. Chirurg. 31 b/1 That nature may have time to close the cutt and ligated vayne. 1866 T. Wright in Intell. Observ. No. 50. 108 The Roman ligated letters. 1875 Knight Dict. Mech., Ligating-forceps. 1899 Allbutt's Syst. Med. VI. 165 The formation of a thrombus is of no assistance in securing obliteration of a ligated vessel. |