Etymograph

English

obligation

Obligation comes from Latin obligatum, from ligare ‘to bind’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leyǵ-1‘to bind’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEligare1‘to bind’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobligatum1
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobligatio1
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400obligacion1
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500obligacioun1‘a covenant or contract’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1927obligation1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English obligation
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1927, Havelock Ellis: “I am indebted to several friends for notes, observations,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leyǵ-Wiktionary, English obligation‘to bind’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEligareWiktionary, English obligation‘to bind’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobligatumWiktionary, English obligation
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobligatioWiktionary, English obligation
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400obligacionWiktionary, English obligation
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500obligaciounWiktionary, English obligation‘a covenant or contract’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1927obligationWiktionary, English obligation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1927, Havelock Ellis: “I am indebted to several friends for notes, observations,…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- ‘to bind’

league, religious, religion, ally, alloy, liable, liaison, lien, ligament, ligand, religiosity, ligature, legato, 14 more

Today it means

noun The act of binding oneself by a social, legal, or moral tie to someone.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “obligation”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- / obligation

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