ligation
UK[lɪˈɡeɪʃən]US[lɪˈɡeɪʃən]
n
The act of tying something tightly, especially a blood vessel or other tube in the body during surgery.
n
The state of being tied or connected.
Morpheme Breakdown
lig
ation
lig
bind
ation
action or state
Etymology
The word ligation originates from the Latin verb ligare, meaning "to bind or tie." This Latin root itself is derived from the Proto-Indo-European base leig-, which conveyed the sense of "to bind." The suffix -ation was added through Old French and Middle English to form a noun indicating the action or process of binding. In modern medical and general usage, ligation retains this core concept, specifically referring to the surgical act of tying off a vessel or duct, or more broadly to any state of being connected or bound.
Analysis
Structure: lig (bind) + ation (action or state)
lig (from Latin ligare, meaning "to bind, tie"); ation (a suffix of Latin origin forming nouns denoting an action or its result).
Examples
The surgeon performed a ligation of the fallopian tube.
Ligation of the artery was necessary to stop the bleeding.
The molecular biologist studied DNA ligation, the process of joining DNA fragments.