Emily Dickinson Lexicon

LIG'A-TURE, n. [Fr. from L. ligatura.]

1. Any thing that binds; a band or bandage. – Ray.
2. The act of binding; as, by a strict ligature of the parts. – Arbuthnot.
3. Impotence induced by magic. – Coxe. Encyc.
4. In music, a band or line connecting notes.
5. Among printers, a double character, or a type consisting of two letters or characters united; as, fl, fi, in English. The old editions of Greek authors abound with ligatures.
6. The state of being bound. – Mortimer.
7. In medicine, stiffness of a joint. – Coxe.
8. In surgery, a cord or string for tying the blood-vessels particularly the arteries, to prevent hemorrhage.