---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Learning Kingdom's Cool Word of the Day for April 15, 1999 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ligature [n. LIG-uh-chur] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ligature is the act of tying or binding, and a ligature is something that binds or ties, like a cord or bandage. It can also be a united pair of letters such as "a" with "e" (which we can't show you here, because the character is not in the standard set). In music a ligature is a slurred connection between two adjacent notes. In the case of combined letters, ligatures were first used by scribes in medieval times to increase writing speed and to save space. Today they are used to improve readability, and some computer fonts include them. They may include such combinations as ff, fi, fl, ffi, ffl, Rp, ct, st, Sh, Si, Sl, SS, and St. The word came through Old French, from Late Latin ligatura, from ligare (to bind). It's part of a family of "binding and connecting" words, that also includes these words: ligate: to tie or bind with a ligature ligase: a biological molecule that links together two other molecules ligament: (anatomy) a sheet or band of connective tissue lien: a document that binds a person to pay a debt oblige: to make someone indebted (bound) or grateful Today's sponsor: ACSI Bulk Inks <http://www.oddparts.com/ink> WHY pay $30 for a new inkjet cartridge, when you can refill your current one 10 times for $21.95 with our 450 ml pint bottles. Free, easy on-line instructions. Color and photo inks too. Call us now Toll Free: 1-888-728-2465 VISA/MC/AMEX ACSI Bulk Inks: <http://www.oddparts.com/ink> Mention Cool-Word and save $5 on shipping/handling ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Cool Word of the Day list membership: 80,009 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To subscribe, visit http://www.tlk-lists.com/join/ To unsubscribe, visit http://www.tlk-lists.com/change/ To become a sponsor, visit http://www.tlk-lists.com/sponsor/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright (c) 1999, The Learning Kingdom, Inc. http://www.LearningKingdom.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------