n. Anything that serves for tying, binding, or uniting, as a cord or bandage; hence, any binding, restraining, or uniting agency or principle.n. Specifically In surgery: A cord for tying a blood-vessel, particularly an artery, to prevent hemorrhage.n. A cord or wire to remove tumors, etc., by strangulation.n. The act of binding; ligation.n. The state of being bound or consolidated.n. Impotence supposed to be induced by magic.n. In music: In medieval musical notation, one of various compound note-forms designed to indicate groups of two or more tones which were to be sung to a single syllable—that is, similar to a group of slurred notes in the modern notation. Ligatures are often difficult to decipher, on account of the doubtfulness not only of the pitch of the tones intended, but of their relative duration.n. In modern musical notation, a tie or band; hence, a group of notes slurred together, intended to be sung at a single breath or to be played as a continuous phrase.n. In contrapuntal music, a syncopation.n. In printing and writing, a type or character consisting of or representing two or more letters or characters united.To compress or tie by means of a ligature, in any sense; ligate.