Medical Dictionary
obligate
adj ob·li·gate \ˈäb-li-gət, -lə-ˌgāt\
Medical Definition of OBLIGATE
1
: restricted to one particularly characteristic mode of life or way of functioning <the infant is an obligate nose breather—Journal of the American Medical Association> <an obligate parasite>
2
: biologically essential for survival <obligate parasitism>
—ob·li·gate·ly adverb
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