LIGAMENT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does ligament mean? 

• LIGAMENT (noun)
  The noun LIGAMENT has 2 senses:

1. a sheet or band of tough fibrous tissue connecting bones or cartilages or supporting muscles or organs

2. any connection or unifying bond

  Familiarity information: LIGAMENT used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• LIGAMENT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A sheet or band of tough fibrous tissue connecting bones or cartilages or supporting muscles or organs

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("ligament" is a kind of...):

connective tissue (tissue of mesodermal origin consisting of e.g. collagen fibroblasts and fatty cells; supports organs and fills spaces between them and forms tendons and ligaments)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ligament"):

falciform ligament (a ligament that attaches part of the liver to the diaphragm and the abdominal wall)

ligamentum teres uteri; round ligament of the uterus (ligament attached to the uterus on either side in front of and below the opening of the Fallopian tube and passing through the inguinal canal to the labia majora)

Holonyms ("ligament" is a part of...):

muscle system; muscular structure; musculature (the muscular system of an organism)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Any connection or unifying bond

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("ligament" is a kind of...):

attachment; bond (a connection that fastens things together)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ligament"):

binder; ligature (something used to tie or bind)

chain (a series of (usually metal) rings or links fitted into one another to make a flexible ligament)

wire (ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc)

 Context examples 

The muscles and ligaments that line the part of the body between the hips.

(Pelvic wall, NCI Dictionary)

A broad category of disorders of tendons, ligaments, cartilage and soft tissues.

(Connective and Soft Tissue Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)

Health care professionals use MRI scans to diagnose a variety of conditions, from torn ligaments to tumors.

(MRI Scans, NIH)

This allele, which encodes collagen alpha-1 (I) chain protein, is involved in both the development and maintenance of tendon, ligaments and bones.

(COL1A1 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

A disorder characterized by benign depositions of calcium in the posterior longitudinal ligament.

(Ossification of Posterior Longitudinal Ligament, NCI Thesaurus)

The peritoneal fold that covers and attaches the ovary to the broad ligament.

(Mesovarium, NCI Thesaurus)

Each step you take involves a complex network of bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

(Foot Health, NIH: National Institute on Aging)

A bone prominence to which ligaments and tendons of the joints are attached.

(Epicondyle, NCI Thesaurus)

Each of your feet has 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 tendons, muscles, and ligaments.

(Foot Injuries and Disorders, NIH)

Having to do with muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, joints, and cartilage.

(Musculoskeletal, NCI Dictionary)