Emily Dickinson Lexicon

LIG'A-MENT, n. [L. ligamentum, from ligo, to bind, that is, to strain.]

1. Any thing that ties or unites one thing or part to an other. Interwoven is the love of liberty with every ligament of your hearts. – Washington.
2. In anatomy, a strong, compact substance, serving to bind one bone to another. It is a white, solid, inelastic, tendinous substance, softer than cartilage, but harder than membrane. – Encyc. Quincy. Coxe.
3. Bond; chain; that which binds or restrains. – Addison.