[ob.li.ga.tion] n (14c) 1: the action of obligating oneself to a course of action (as by a promise or vow)
2. a: something (as a formal contract, a promise, or the demands of conscience or custom) that obligates one to a course of action b: a debt security (as a mortgage or corporate bond) c: a commitment (as by a government) to pay a particular sum of money; also: an amount owed under such an obligation "unable to meet its ~s, the company went into bankruptcy" 3 a: a condition or feeling of being obligated b: a debt of gratitude
4: something one is bound to do: duty, responsibility