Ligature may refer to: *

Ligature (medicine) In surgery or medical procedure, a ligature consists of a piece of thread ( suture) tied around an anatomical structure, usually a blood vessel or another hollow structure (e.g. urethra) to shut it off. History The principle of ligation is attr ...

, a piece of suture used to shut off a blood vessel or other anatomical structure **

Ligature (orthodontic) Elastics are rubber bands frequently used in the field of orthodontics to correct different types of malocclusions. The elastic wear is prescribed by an orthodontist or a dentist in an orthodontic treatment. The longevity of the elastic wear may v ...

, used in dentistry *

Ligature (music) In music notation, a ligature is a graphic symbol that tells a musician to perform two or more notes in a single gesture, and on a single syllable. It was primarily used from around 800 to 1650 AD. Ligatures are characteristic of neumatic (chant) ...

, an element of musical notation used especially in the medieval and Renaissance periods *

Ligature (instrument) A ligature is a device which holds a reed onto the mouthpiece of a single-reed instrument such as a saxophone or clarinet. The ligature must secure the reed firmly against the table of the mouthpiece while allowing it to vibrate freely. The earl ...

, a device used to attach a reed to the mouthpiece of a woodwind instrument *

Ligature (writing) In writing and typography, a ligature occurs where two or more graphemes or letters are joined to form a single glyph. Examples are the characters æ and œ used in English and French, in which the letters 'a' and 'e' are joined for the first ...

, a combination of two or more letters into a single symbol (typography and calligraphy) *

Ligature (grammar) In grammar, a ligature is a morpheme that links two elements. See also * Albanian morphology#The linking clitic *Ezāfe *Interfix In phonology, an interfix or (more commonly) linking element is a part of a word that is placed between two morph ...

, a morpheme that links two words