Obligating

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To create a binding duty or responsibility for an individual or group
2. Imposing a required responsibility or task that must be fulfilled
3. Making someone legally or morally accountable for performing a specific action

Etymology: "Obligating" is the present participle of "obligate," a verb that goes back to Latin "obligātus," the past participle of "obligō," meaning "to bind" or "to bind up." The Latin verb combined "ob-" (toward, against) with "ligāre" (to tie), so the core image is literally being tied to something. The English verb first appears in 1533, borrowed directly from that Latin participle, and it sits in a close family relationship with "oblige," which reached English through French. Those two words are doublets: same Latin source, different routes. "Oblige" arrived via Old French and carried a softer sense of being bound by courtesy or favour, while "obligate" kept a sharper, more formal feel of being bound by duty or contract. Middle English also had an adjective "obligat," meaning "bound by any obligation," which helped shape the later verb.

Synonyms: binding, compelling, requiring

Antonyms: freeing, excusing