obligation

English Online Dictionary. What means obligation‎? What does obligation mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English obligacioun, from Old French obligacion, from Latin obligatio, obligationem, from obligatum (past participle of obligare), from ob- (“to”) + ligare (“to bind”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- (“to bind”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɑb.ləˈɡeɪ.ʃən/
• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

obligation (countable and uncountable, plural obligations)

1. The act of binding oneself by a social, legal, or moral tie to someone.
2. A social, legal, or moral requirement, duty, contract, or promise that compels someone to follow or avoid a particular course of action.
3. A course of action imposed by society, law, or conscience by which someone is bound or restricted.
4. (law) A legal agreement stipulating a specified action or forbearance by a party to the agreement; the document containing such agreement.
5. (countable) Reason for being obliged to, that is, grateful for, something.

Synonyms

• (the act of binding oneself by a social, legal, or moral tie to someone): commitment
• (requirement, duty, contract or promise): duty

Antonyms

• (requirement, duty, contract or promise): right

Derived terms

Related terms

Collocations

Translations

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin obligātiōnem, from the verb obligō (“tie together”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔ.bli.ɡa.sjɔ̃/

Noun

obligation f (plural obligations)

1. obligation
2. (finance) bond

Derived terms

• obligation scolaire

Related terms

• obliger

Further reading

• “obligation”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Middle English

Noun

obligation

1. Alternative form of obligacioun

Swedish

Noun

obligation

1. (government) bond

Further reading

• obligation in Svensk ordbok.