I. Lit.
A. To bind or tie around, to bind or fasten to any thing (very rare): “obligatus corio,” bound in a leathern sack, Auct. Her. 1, 13, 23: “articulis muscus obligatus,” bound upon, Plin. 26, 11, 66, § 105: cibum ovis, to bind or unite with eggs, Apic. 4, 2: “amylo spisso obligare,” id. 2, 2; 8, 2.—
B. To bind together, bind up (rare): “pecua ad hanc collo in crumena ego obligata defero,” Plaut. Truc. 5, 1, 64: age obliga, obsigna cito, tie up (the letter, in order to seal it), id. Bacch. 4, 4, 96: “manipulos,” Col. 11, 2, 40.—
C. To bind up, bandage, swathe (class., esp. of wounds): “crus fractum,” Plaut. Men. 5, 3, 9: “vulnus,” Cic. N. D. 3, 22, 57; cf.: “medicum requirens, a quo obligetur,” to bind up his wounds, id. Tusc. 2, 16, 38; Suet. Vit. 2: “venas,” to bandage the veins, Tac. A. 6, 9: “surculum libro,” Varr. R. R. 1, 41, 2: “oculos,” Sen. Ira, 3, 11, 4: “ore obligato obsignatoque simulacrum,” Plin. 3, 5, 9, § 65.—
II. Trop.
A. In gen., to bind, oblige, put under an obligation, make liable, etc. (cf.: “obstringo, devincio): aliquem obligare militiae secundo sacramento,” bind by a second oath, swear in again, Cic. Off. 1, 11, 36: “vadem tribus milibus aeris,” to bind in the sum of, Liv. 3, 13: “voti sponsio, quā obligamur deo,” Cic. Leg. 2, 16, 41; Liv. 9, 11: “se nexu,” Cic. Mur. 2, 3: se in acta cujusquam, Tib. ap. Suet. Tib. 67: “se chirographo ad aliquid,” Dig. 30, 103: “aliquem sibi liberalitate,” to bind to one's self, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 14, 3: “obligabis me,” will oblige me, lay me under an obligation, Plin. Ep. 4, 4, 2; Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 5: “obligari foedere,” Liv. 38, 33: pro amicis alicui obligari, to lay one's self under obligation, i. e. to solicit favors, Plin. Ep. 10, 3, 1: “obligor ipse tamen,” Ov. M. 9, 248: “obligatus ei nihil eram,” was under no obligation to him, Cic. Fam. 6, 11, 1: “me obligatum tibi fore,” id. Att. 13, 18: “obligati sunt interrogatum,” Amm. 28, 4, 10.—Poet.: “Prometheus obligatus aliti,” devoted, condemned to, Hor. Epod. 17, 67: “ergo obligatam redde Jovi dapem,” vowed, due, id. C. 2, 7, 17: “obligor, ut tangam laevi fera litora Ponti,” am compelled, Ov. Tr. 1, 2, 83.—
B. In partic.
1. To render liable through guilt, to make guilly: “cum populum Romanum scelere obligāsses,” Cic. Dom. 8, 20: “votis caput,” Hor. C. 2, 8, 5: “se scelere,” Suet. Caes. 42: se furti, Scaev. ap. Gell. 7, 15, 2.—Pass., to be guilty of, to commit an offence: “est enim periculum, ne aut neglectis iis impiā fraude, aut susceptis anili superstitione obligemur,” Cic. Div. 1, 4, 7; cf.: “lege Corneliā testamentariā obligatur,” offends against, Dig. 8, 10, 30.—
2. Jurid. t. t.
a. To bind, engage one (cf. obligatio, II. B.): “obligandi, solvendi sui causā,” Dig. 2, 13, 6, § 3: “se obligare,” ib. 4, 2, 7, § 1; 21, 1, 25, § 9.—
b. To pledge, pawn, mortgage a thing: “magistratui bona ejus obligantur,” Vitr. 10 praef.: “omnia praedia fratri,” Suet. Vesp. 4: “omnia bona sua pignori,” Dig. 20, 4, 21: “nam fundi et aedis obligatae sunt ob amoris praedium,” has a mortgage on it, Plaut. Truc. 2, 1, 4: “aedes pignori,” Dig. 39, 2, 44: “obligata praedia,” Cic. Agr. 3, 2, 9.—
(β).
Transf., beyond the jurid. sphere: “obligare fidem suam,” to pledge one's word, Cic. Phil. 5, 18, 51.—
3. To impede, restrain, embarrass: judicio districtum atque obligatum esse, Cic. Verr. 1, 9, 24.—Hence, oblĭ-gātus , a, um, P. a., bound, obliged: “iisdem (officiis) me tibi obligatum fore,” Cic. Fam. 13, 18, 2.—Comp.: “quanto quis melior et probior, tanto mihi obligatior abit,” Plin. Ep. 8, 2, 8: “ipsi obligati sunt,” ensnared, embarrassed, Vulg. Psa. 19, 9.
