ˈviŋkyələm noun
( plural vinculums -mz ; or vincu·la -lə)
Etymology: Latin, from vincire to bind, tie — more at vetch
1. : a unifying bond : link , tie
the strong vinculum between the candidate and his supporters
2. : a uniting band or bundle of fibers (as a commissure uniting the two main tendons of the foot in a bird) : frenum
3. : a straight horizontal mark in mathematics placed over two or more members of a compound quantity and equivalent to parentheses or brackets about them