A cord or wire used to tie something tightly, or two letters joined together in writing or printing.
From Latin 'ligatura' (a tying), from 'ligare' (to tie). The term applies both to practical binding and to typography where letters like 'fi' were traditionally joined into one character for better spacing and appearance.
Medieval scribes created ligatures to save space when hand-copying manuscripts, and modern fonts still include them—the 'fi' ligature you see in books is a direct line from monks trying to fit more words on expensive parchment! It's a hidden link between manuscript art and contemporary design.
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