1. In music:
* A ligature is a symbol used in musical notation to indicate that two or more notes are to be played as a single, smoothly connected sound. It's essentially a slur that connects the notes together.
2. In typography:
* A ligature is a single glyph (a character in a font) that represents two or more letters joined together. This is done to create a more aesthetically pleasing look or to improve readability. For example, the "fi" in "fidelity" is often a ligature.
3. In medicine:
* A ligature is a piece of material (usually thread or wire) used to tie off a blood vessel or other bodily structure. This is commonly done during surgery to prevent bleeding.
4. In the legal context:
* A ligature can refer to a piece of material used to restrain or bind someone, like a rope or chain. This can be used in a legal context to describe evidence in a crime, such as a ligature used in a homicide.
To understand the meaning of "ligature" in a specific context, consider the surrounding information and the field of study it relates to.