ligation
|li-ga-tion|
/laɪˈɡeɪʃən/
to bind / to tie
Etymology
'ligation' originates from Medieval Latin, specifically the word 'ligatio', where the Latin root 'ligare' meant 'to bind'.
'ligation' changed from Medieval Latin 'ligatio' (and related Latin forms) into late Latin/Anglo-Latin and was adopted into English as 'ligation' with the same basic form.
Initially, it meant 'the action or state of binding' in a general sense, but over time it acquired specialized senses in surgery (tying off) and in biochemistry/molecular biology (joining nucleic acids or peptides).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the act of tying or binding off a blood vessel or duct, especially in surgery (to prevent bleeding or fluid flow).
The surgeon performed a ligation of the artery to stop the bleeding.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 2
in molecular biology and biochemistry, the enzymatic joining of two nucleic acid fragments (DNA or RNA) or the chemical joining of peptides — often carried out by a ligase enzyme or by chemical ligation methods.
Ligation of the DNA fragments was performed using T4 DNA ligase.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 3
a general act of binding or fastening things together (non-technical use).
The ligation of the two ropes kept the load secure during transport.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 4
in synthetic chemistry/peptide chemistry, a method (e.g., native chemical ligation) for chemically joining peptide fragments to form a larger peptide or protein.
Native chemical ligation enabled the synthesis of the full-length peptide.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/09 19:10