obligate

▸ verb /ˈäbləɡāt, ˈɑbləɡeɪt

1 bind or compel (someone), especially legally or morally:

the medical establishment is obligated to take action in the best interest of the public.

2 [with object] US commit (assets) as security:

the money must be obligated within 30 days.

▸ adjective /ˈäbləɡāt, ˈɑbləɡeɪt

/ Biology restricted to a particular function or mode of life:

an obligate intracellular parasite

the lynx is an obligate carnivore.

Often contrasted with facultative.

– DERIVATIVES
obligator /-ˌɡātər/ noun

– ORIGIN late Middle English (as an adjective in the sense ‘bound by law’): from Latin obligatus, past participle of obligare (see oblige). The current adjectival use dates from the late 19th century.