obligation

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   Something you must do because of a law, promise, or moral duty.

   Parents have an obligation to care for their children.

2. 2
   noun

   The state of being forced or required to do something.

   You are under no obligation to buy anything.

3. 3
   noun

   A formal legal agreement to do something or pay money.

   The company failed to meet its financial obligations.

From Middle English obligacioun, from Old French obligacion, from Latin obligatio, obligationem, from obligatum (past participle of obligare), from ob- (“to”) + ligare (“to bind”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- (“to bind”).

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