# obligation

Pronunciation: US say "ob-luh-GAY-shuhn" /ˌɑ.bləˈɡeɪ.ʃən/; say "ob-li-GAY-shuhn" UK /ˌɒb.lɪˈɡeɪ.ʃən/, AUS /ˌɔb.lɪˈɡæɪ.ʃən/

## Noun

1. Something that binds a person to act or refrain from acting in a certain way, such as a duty imposed by society, law, or morality, or a contract or promise.
   - Simple: A duty to do or not do something, set by law, custom, or right and wrong.
   - _A contract creates a binding obligation that courts can enforce._
   - _Many people feel a moral obligation to vote in elections._
2. A course of action imposed by society, law, or conscience that binds or restricts a person.
   - Simple: Something a person must do because of rules, laws, or their own sense of right and wrong.
   - _Military service was once an obligation for every young man in the country._
   - _She fulfilled her family obligations before pursuing her own dreams._
3. The act of binding oneself to another person through a social, legal, or moral tie.
   - Simple: The act of tying yourself to someone through a promise, law, or duty.
   - _Marriage involves a mutual obligation between two people._
   - _He entered into the obligation freely, fully aware of its terms._
4. A legal agreement requiring a specified action or forbearance by a party, or the document that contains the agreement.
   - Simple: A legal deal that says a person must do or avoid a certain action, or the paper that records it.
   - _The court reviewed the obligation to determine each party's duties._
   - _Both signatories received a copy of the obligation._
5. A reason for feeling grateful or indebted to someone for a kindness or favor received.
   - Simple: A reason to feel thankful to someone because of a kindness or favor they did for you.
   - _He repaid the obligation by helping them move house the following spring._
   - _We are under a deep obligation to the strangers who sheltered us._

## Origin

It comes through Middle English obligacioun and Old French obligacion from Latin obligatio, based on obligare, from ob- ('to') and ligare ('to bind'), which traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root *leyǵ- ('to bind').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/obligation (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).