Lewis & Short

ob-lĭgo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a.

  1. I. Lit.
    1. 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.
    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.
    3. 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.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. 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.
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 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. 2. Jurid. t. t.
        1. 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.
        2. 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.
          1. (β) Transf., beyond the jurid. sphere: obligare fidem suam, to pledge one’s word, Cic. Phil. 5, 18, 51.
      3. 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.