obligate
UK[ˈɒblɪɡeɪt]US[ˈɑːblɪɡeɪt]
v
to make someone legally or morally bound to do something
adj
restricted to a particular function or mode of life
Morpheme Breakdown
ob
lig
ate
ob
toward, against, in the way of
lig
to bind
ate
to act upon, cause to become
Etymology
the word 'obligate' has a clear lineage from latin, built upon the verb 'obligare', which means "to bind to, to put under obligation." this latin term itself is a compound of the prefix 'ob-' (meaning "toward" or "against") and the root 'ligare' (meaning "to bind"). the literal sense of "binding toward" someone or something evolved into the legal and moral concept of being bound by duty or contract. the english verb 'obligate' entered the language in the 16th century, preserving this core idea of creating a binding commitment, while the specialized biological use as an adjective (e.g., "an obligate parasite") developed later to describe an organism bound or restricted to a specific condition.
Analysis
Structure: ob + lig + ate
- ob: (latin origin) a prefix meaning "toward, against, in the way of"
- lig: (latin origin) from the root of 'ligare', meaning "to bind"
- ate: (latin origin) a suffix forming verbs meaning "to act upon, cause to become"
Examples
the contract will obligate the company to complete the work by december.
as a doctor, she felt morally obligated to help.
the bacterium is an obligate anaerobe, meaning it cannot survive in the presence of oxygen.