obligation

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Latin obligatio, from obligatum (past participle of obligare), from ob- to + ligare to bind, from Proto-Indo-European *leig- (“to bind”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

obligation (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 payment or action; the document containing such agreement.

   X shall be entitled to subcontract its obligation to provide the Support Services. <<from an agreement>>

   • 1668 December 19ᵗʰ, James Dalrymple, “Mr. Alexander Seaton contra Menzies” in The Deciſions of the Lords of Council & Seſſion I (Edinburgh, 1683), page 575

     The Pupil after his Pupillarity, had granted a Diſcharge to one of the Co-tutors, which did extinguiſh the whole Debt of that Co-tutor, and conſequently of all the reſt, they being all correi debendi, lyable by one individual Obligation, which cannot be Diſcharged as to one, and ſtand as to all the reſt.

Usage notes

• Adjectives often used with "obligation": moral, legal, social, contractual, political, mutual, military, perpetual, etc.

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

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

Related terms

obligate obligated obligational

obligato obligatorily oblige obligee

obliger obliging obligingly obligingness obligor

Translations

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

Arabic: واجب (ar) (wājib) m. Belarusian: абавязацельства (be) (abavjazácel’stva) n. Chinese: Mandarin: 義務 (zh), 义务 (zh) (yìwù), 責任 (zh), 责任 (zh) (zérèn) Danish: pligt c. Finnish: sitoutuminen French: obligation (fr) f. German: Verpflichtung (de) f., Pflicht (de) f. Greek: υποχρέωση (el) (ypochréosi) f. Hungarian: kötelezettség (hu)

Irish: oibleagáid (ga) f. Japanese: 義務 (ja) (ぎむ, gimu), 責任 (ja) (せきにん, sekinin) Korean: 의무 (ko) (uimu) (義務 (ko)) Romanian: obligare (ro) f., obligație (ro) Russian: обязательство (ru) (objazátel’stvo) n., долг (ru) (dolg) m. Scottish Gaelic: comain (gd) f., còir (gd) f. Spanish: comprometerse (es) Ukrainian: зобов'язання (uk) (zobov’jázannja) n. Vietnamese: nghĩa vụ (vi) (義務 (vi))

social, legal, or moral requirement

Czech: závazek (cs) m. Danish: pligt c. Finnish: velvollisuus (fi) Greek: υποχρέωση (el) (ypochréosi) f. Hungarian: lekötelezettség (hu)

Irish: oibleagáid (ga) f. Romanian: obligație (ro) f. Russian: обязанность (ru) (objázannost’) f. Scottish Gaelic: comain (gd) f., còir (gd) f. Spanish: compromiso (es) m., obligación (es) f.

course of action imposed by society, law, or conscience

Danish: pligt c. Finnish: velvollisuus (fi) Hungarian: kötelesség (hu) Irish: oibleagáid (ga) f.

Russian: обязанность (ru) (objázannost’) f. Scottish Gaelic: còir (gd) f. Spanish: deber (es) m., obligación (es) f.

legal agreement

Finnish: sitoumus Russian: обязательство (ru) (objazátel’stvo) n.

Spanish: compromiso (es) m., deber (es) m., obligación (es) f.

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Afrikaans: verpligting: verbintenis Arabic: واجب (wājib) m. Mandarin: 義務, 义务 (yìwù) Dutch: verplichting f. Esperanto: devo, devigo French: engagement m., obligation f. German: Verpflichtung f. Hebrew: מחויבות (mekhoyavot) f.

Interlingua: obligation Italian: obbligo m. Japanese: 義務 (ぎむ, gimu) Korean: 의무 (uimu) Malayalam: കടപ്പാട്, (katappaat) Portuguese: obrigação f. Spanish: obligación f. Swedish: skyldighet c.

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French

Etymology

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

Noun

obligation f. (plural obligations)

1. obligation

Related terms

• obliger