Revised 2004
obligationnoun
Factsheet
What does the noun obligation mean?
There are 11 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun obligation, five of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
obligation has developed meanings and uses in subjects including
How common is the noun obligation?
About 40occurrences per million words in modern written English
1750 | 49 |
1760 | 49 |
1770 | 45 |
1780 | 50 |
1790 | 51 |
1800 | 54 |
1810 | 49 |
1820 | 52 |
1830 | 54 |
1840 | 50 |
1850 | 46 |
1860 | 43 |
1870 | 40 |
1880 | 40 |
1890 | 36 |
1900 | 38 |
1910 | 42 |
1920 | 48 |
1930 | 49 |
1940 | 47 |
1950 | 47 |
1960 | 44 |
1970 | 41 |
1980 | 41 |
1990 | 44 |
2000 | 43 |
2010 | 43 |
How is the noun obligation pronounced?
British English
/ˌɒblᵻˈɡeɪʃn/
ob-luh-GAY-shuhn
U.S. English
/ˌɑbləˈɡeɪʃən/
ah-bluh-GAY-shuhn
Where does the noun obligation come from?
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the noun obligation is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for obligation is from before 1325, in Statutes of the Realm.
obligation is of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin.
Etymons: French obligacion; Latin obligātiōn-, obligātiō.
Nearby entries
- obley-iron, n.1346–1440
- obley maker, n.1423–50
- oblietjie, n.1890–
- obligable, adj.1648–
- obligancy, n.1826
- obligant, n. & adj.1583–
- obligate, adj. & n.?a1475–
- obligate, v.1533–
- obligated, adj.1740–
- obligately, adv.1915–
- obligation, n.a1325–
- obligational, adj.1822–
- obligationary, adj.1880–
- obligative, adj.1596–
- obligativeness, n.1678–
- obligator, n.²a1625–
- obligator, adj. & n.¹1398–1691
- obligatorily, adv.1570–
- obligatoriness, n.1650–
- obligatorious, adj.a1555–1602
- obligatory, adj.c1400–
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for obligation, n.
obligation, n. was revised in March 2004.
obligation, n. was last modified in July 2023.
oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into obligation, n. in July 2023.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1902)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Citation details
Factsheet for obligation, n.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- obley-iron, n.1346–1440
- obley maker, n.1423–50
- oblietjie, n.1890–
- obligable, adj.1648–
- obligancy, n.1826
- obligant, n. & adj.1583–
- obligate, adj. & n.?a1475–
- obligate, v.1533–
- obligated, adj.1740–
- obligately, adv.1915–
- obligation, n.a1325–
- obligational, adj.1822–
- obligationary, adj.1880–
- obligative, adj.1596–
- obligativeness, n.1678–
- obligator, n.²a1625–
- obligator, adj. & n.¹1398–1691
- obligatorily, adv.1570–
- obligatoriness, n.1650–
- obligatorious, adj.a1555–1602
- obligatory, adj.c1400–