lig- +

Pertaining to, of the nature of, or forming a ligament.

Referring to or of the nature of a ligament.

Ligament.

The application of a ligature.

1. The process of binding or tying.
2. A band or bandage.
3. A thread or wire for tying a blood vessel or other structure in order to constrict or fasten it.
4. Etymology: "something used in tying or binding", from Old French ligature, from Late Latin ligatura, "a band", from Latin ligatus; past participle of ligare, "to bind".

Meckel band, the portion of the anterior ligament of the malleus that extends from the base of the anterior process through the petrotympanic fissure, to attach to the spine of the sphenoid.

1. To bind, to compel, or to constrain by a social, legal, or moral tie.
2. To cause to be grateful or indebted; to oblige.
3. To commit; for example, money, in order to fulfill an obligation.
4. In biology, restricted to one particular mode of life or set of conditions.
5. Restricted to a single mode of behavior or environmental condition; such as, an obligate aerobe that is dependent on the presence of molecular oxygen to breathe.
6. Etymology: from Latin "to bind by oath", from Old French obligier, from Latin obligare; from ob-, "to" + ligare, "to bind".

An organism especially a bacterium that requires air or free oxygen for life or which is dependent on the presence of molecular oxygen to breathe.

An organism that can live only in the absence of oxygen.

1. An animal that requires meat, or other animal products, in its diet in order to obtain the nutrients that are found in sufficient quantities.
2. An obligate, or true carnivore, is an animal that subsists on a diet consisting almost exclusively of meat.

They may consume other products presented to them, especially animal products like cheese and bone marrow or sweet sugary substances like honey and syrup; but, as these items are not essential they do not consume them on a regular basis.

True carnivores lack the physiology required for efficient digestion of vegetable matter; in fact, some carnivorous mammals eat vegetation matter specifically just as an emetic (for vomiting).

3. An animal that by its genetic makeup must eat the tissue of other animals in order to thrive.

Obligate carnivores may eat other foods; such as, vegetables, grains, or fruit, but they must eat meat as the main source for their nutrients.

An organism that can exist only as a parasite.

A predator that is narrowly restricted to a specific kind of prey.

An organism which can only live off dead organic matter. These fungi are very important as decomposers of organic material.

An organism that cannot function unless it is combined with another organism.

1. The act of binding oneself by a social, legal, or moral tie.
2. A social, legal, or moral requirement; such as, a duty, contract, or promise that compels one to follow or avoid a particular course of action.
3. A course of action imposed by society, the law, or one's conscience by which a person is bound or restricted.
4. The constraining power of a promise, contract, law, or sense of duty.
5. In law, a legal agreement stipulating a specified payment or action; especially, if the agreement also specifies a penalty for failure to comply and the document containing the terms of such an agreement.
6. Something owed as payment or in return for a special service or favor for which one is indebted to another.
7. The state, fact, or feeling of being indebted to another for a special service or favor received.
8. Etymology: from Old French obligation (1235), from Laton obligationem, obligatio, "an engaging" or pledging"; literally, "a binding" (but rarely used in this sense), noun of action from obligare.

The meaning is of "binding with promises" or "by law" or "duty". Oblige, with which it is usually confused, means "to do one a favor".