ligature
n. countablen. a small line that connects two notes in music, showing they should be played smoothly. In surgery, it is a piece of thread used to tie off a blood vessel to stop bleeding.
n. a curved line connecting two notes of the same pitch in musical notation, indicating that they should be played as a single, sustained sound. In a medical context, a suture or thread used to occlude a blood vessel or duct.
The singer used a ligature to make the two notes sound like one.
During the operation, the surgeon applied a ligature to the artery to prevent any further blood loss before the incision was closed.
The composer's use of a ligature between the two quarter notes creates a seamless melodic line that contrasts sharply with the rhythmic complexity of the surrounding passage.
From Middle English ligature, from Middle French ligature, from Late Latin ligātūra, from Latin ligātus, past participle of ligāre (“to tie, bind”).