Obligate

Pronunciation

• US (verb) enPR: äʹblÄ­gāt, IPA: /ˈɑblɪɡeɪt/

• UK (verb) enPR: ôbʹlÄ­gāt, IPA: /ˈɒblɪɡeɪt/

Origin

From Latin obligātus, past participle of obligō.

Full definition of obligate

Verb

1. (transitive, North America, Scottish) To bind, compel, constrain, or oblige by a social, legal, or moral tie.
2. (transitive, North America, Scottish) To cause to be grateful or indebted; to oblige.
3. (transitive, North America, Scottish) To commit (money, for example) in order to fulfill an obligation.

Usage notes

In non-legal usage, almost exclusively used in the passive, in form “obligated to X” where ‘X’ is a verb infinitive or noun phrase, as in “obligated to pay”. Further, it is now only in standard use in American English and some dialects such as Scottish,

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage, p. 675 having disappeared from standard British English by the 20th century, being replaced by obliged (it was previously used in the 17th through 19th centuries).

The New Fowler’s Modern English Usage (1996)

Synonyms

• (force, compel) See also:

Derived terms

• obligation
• obligatory

Adjective

1. (biology) Able to exist or survive only in a particular environment or by assuming a particular role.an obligate parasite; an obligate anaerobe.
2. Absolutely indispensable; essential.

Related terms

• oblige
• obligee
• obligor