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ligo

Etymology and origin of the Latin word ligo

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Confidence
Probable
Formation
Inherited
First attested
Catullus

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈlɪ.ɡoː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈliː.ɡo][1]

Forms

ligō (present infinitive ligāre, perfect active ligāvī, supine ligātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It probably comes from Proto-Italic *-lig-ā-, from Proto-Indo-European *liǵ- (“to tie”).[2] De Vaan notes that the simple verb appears only from Catullus on, after many compounds, and suggests an older verb *lig-e/o- underlies them.[2] Wiktionary also takes it as a back-formation from the compounds.[1] Cognate with Albanian lidh (“to tie”).[2][3] Whether līctor and religiō belong here is uncertain.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The simple verb is first found in Catullus, while compounds such as alligō and obligō go back to Plautus.[2] Köbler dates Catullus 81/79–52/50 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Latin it was to fasten or bind with something, to bandage a wound, to bind two things together and to knot a girdle.[3] It was to tie up so as to prevent escape, and figuratively to unite in harmony or to cement an alliance.[3][5] Döderlein groups it with vieō, binding to hold things together, against vinciō and nectō, fettering.[6]

Through Italian legare it gave English league “alliance”, and its participle gave English ligate.[7] It survives as Romanian lega and Italian legare.[1]

Timeline

  • 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses the simple verb.[2][4]
  • 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid binds up wounds with it.[3][4]
  • mid-15th century – English league is recorded.[7]
  • 1590s – English ligate is recorded.[7]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To fasten, bind; to bandage.[3][5]
  2. To bind together; to knot; to knit (wounds).[3]
  3. To attach (one thing to another).[3]
  4. To tie up, hold fast.[3]
  5. To unite; to confirm (an alliance).[3][1]

Word family

  • alligō
  • circumligō
  • colligō
  • dēligō
  • illigō
  • interligō
  • līctor
  • ligāmen
  • ligāmentum
  • ligātiō
  • ligātūra
  • obligō

Usage notes

There is also a noun ligō, ligōnis “mattock, hoe”, of uncertain origin.[5][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  7. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Ligo.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/ligo. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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