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obligation

Pronunciation: /ˌɒb.lɪˈɡeɪ.ʃn̩/

The English word “obligation” has 5 meanings listed here.

noun

  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. A legal agreement stipulating a specified action or forbearance by a party to the agreement; the document containing such agreement.
  5. Reason for being obliged to, that is, grateful for, something.

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”).

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.