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complement

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: complément

English

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The complement of A relative to B (indicated as B − A)

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *ḱe?
Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm
Proto-Italic *kom
Proto-Italic *kom-
Latin con-
Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁-
Proto-Italic *plēō
Latin pleō
Latin compleō
Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥
Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥tom
Proto-Italic *-mentom
Latin -mentum
Latin complēmentumder.
Middle English complement
English complement

    From Middle English complement, from Latin complēmentum (“that which fills up or completes”), from compleō (“to fill up; to complete”) (English complete). Doublet of compliment. The verb is from the noun.[1]

    Noun

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    complement (countable and uncountable, plural complements)

    1. The totality, the full amount or number which completes something. [from 16th c.]
      • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:
        Queequeg sought a passage to Christian lands. But the ship, having her full complement of seamen, spurned his suit; and not all the King his father's influence could prevail.
      • 2009 October 30, The Guardian:
        Some 11 members of Somerton council's complement of 15 stepped down on Tuesday.
    2. (nautical) The whole working force of a vessel.
    3. (astronomy, geometry) An angle which, together with a given angle, makes a right angle. [from 18th c.]
    4. Something which completes, something which combines with something else to make up a complete whole; loosely, something perceived to be a harmonious or desirable partner or addition. [from 19th c.]
      • 1854, James Stephen, On Desultory and Systematic Reading:
        History is the complement of poetry.
      • 1962 October, Brian Haresnape, “Focus on B.R. passenger stations”, in Modern Railways, page 255:
        It would be too much to imagine that improving stations will alone create a much needed new image in the public eye; a smartly turned out station staff is a very necessary complement to a smart station.
      • 2009 December 13, The Guardian:
        London's Kings Place, now one year old, established itself as a venue for imaginative programming, a complement to the evergreen Wigmore Hall.
    6. (grammar, linguistics) A word or group of words that completes a grammatical construction in the predicate and that describes or is identified with the subject or object. [from 19th c.]
      • 1988, Andrew Radford, chapter 7, in Transformational grammar: a first course, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, page 340:
        Why has our grammar broken down at this point? It is not difficult to see why. For, we have failed to make any provision for the fact that only some Verbs in English (i.e. Verbs like those italicized in (5) (a), traditionally called Transitive Verbs) subcategorize ( = ‘takeʼ) an immediately following NP Complement, whereas others (such as those italicised in (5) (b), traditionally referred to as Intransitive Verbs) do not.
    7. (palaeography, phonetics) A phonetic complement is a graphic element that modifies another, such as (in Linear B script) a small syllabogram that is attached to a logogram as an abbreviation of its reading (as opposed to an adjunct that abbreviates an adjective that modifies that logogram).
    8. (music) An interval which, together with the given interval, makes an octave. [from 19th c.]
    9. (optics) The color which, when mixed with the given color, gives black (for mixing pigments) or white (for mixing light). [from 19th c.]
      The complement of blue is orange.
    10. (set theory) Given two sets, the set containing one set's elements that are not members of the other set (whether a relative complement or an absolute complement). [from 20th c.]
      The complement of the odd numbers is the even numbers, relative to the natural numbers.
    11. (immunology) One of several blood proteins that work with antibodies during an immune response. [from 20th c.]
    13. (logic) An expression related to some other expression such that it is true under the same conditions that make other false, and vice versa. [from 20th c.]
    14. (electronics) A voltage level with the opposite logical sense to the given one.
    15. (computing) A bit with the opposite value to the given one; the logical complement of a number.
    16. (computing, mathematics) The diminished radix complement of a number; the nines' complement of a decimal number; the ones' complement of a binary number.
      The complement of 011001012 is 100110102.
    17. (computing, mathematics) The radix complement of a number; the two's complement of a binary number.
      The complement of 011001012 is 100110112.
    18. (computing, mathematics) The numeric complement of a number.
      The complement of −123 is 123.
    19. (genetics) A nucleotide sequence in which each base is replaced by the complementary base of the given sequence: adenine (A) by thymine (T) or uracil (U), cytosine (C) by guanine (G), and vice versa.
      A DNA molecule is formed from two strands, each of which is the complement of the other.
    20. (biochemistry) Synonym of alexin.
    21. (economics) Abbreviation of complementary good.
    22. (now rare) Something (or someone) that completes; the consummation. [from 14th c.]
      • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC:
        perform all those works of mercy, which Clemens Alexandrinus calls amoris et amicitiæ impletionem et extentionem, the extent and complement of love […].
    23. (obsolete) The act of completing something, or the fact of being complete; completion, completeness, fulfilment. [15th–18th c.]
    24. (obsolete) Something which completes one's equipment, dress etc.; an accessory. [16th–17th c.]
    Derived terms
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    Translations
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    Verb

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    complement (third-person singular simple present complements, present participle complementing, simple past and past participle complemented)

    1. To complete, to bring to perfection, to make whole.
      Synonym: tie in
      We believe your addition will complement the team.
    2. To provide what the partner lacks and lack what the partner provides, thus forming part of a whole.
      The flavors of the pepper and garlic complement each other, giving a very rich taste in combination.
      I believe our talents really complement each other.
    3. To change a voltage, number, color, etc. to its complement.
    Derived terms
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    Translations
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    See also

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    References

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    • DeLone et. al. (Eds.) (1975). Aspects of Twentieth-Century Music. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. →ISBN.
    1. ^ “complement, v.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

    Etymology 2

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    See compliment.

    Noun

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    complement (countable and uncountable, plural complements)

    1. Misspelling of compliment.
    2. Obsolete spelling of compliment.

    Verb

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    complement (third-person singular simple present complements, present participle complementing, simple past and past participle complemented)

    1. Misspelling of compliment.
    2. Obsolete spelling of compliment.
      • c. 1608–1610, Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher, “The Coxcomb”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii, page 98, column 1:
        Ser[vant]. Miſtris there are 2. Gentlemen. / Mar[ia]. VVhere? / Ser. Complementing vvho ſhould firſt enter.
      • 1617 November 15 (date delivered; Gregorian calendar), Lancelot Andrewes, “[Sermons of the Gun-pouder-treason, Preached vpon the Fift of November.] A Sermon Preached before the King’s Maiestie, at White-hall, on the V. of November, Anno Domini, MDCXVII.”, in XCVI. Sermons […], London: […] George Miller, for Richard Badger, published 1629, →OCLC, page 994:
        It is a mock ſervice, as if vvhat ſerves man, vvould ſerve Him [God]: as if vve could complement it vvith God, vvith faces and phraſes, as vvith men vve do.
      • 1644, John Milton, Areopagitica; a Speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc’d Printing, to the Parlament of England, London: [s.n.], →OCLC, page 8:
        Sometimes 5 Imprimaturs are ſeen together dialogue-vviſe in the Piatza of one Title page, complementing and ducking each to other vvith their ſhav'n reverences, vvhether the Author, vvho ſtands by in perplexity at the foot of his Epiſtle, ſhall to the Preſſe or to the ſpunge.
      • 1645, Thomas Fuller, “Historicall Applications”, in Good Thoughts in Bad Times, […], Exeter, Devon: […] Thomas Hunt, →OCLC, section VI, pages 141–142:
        […] Artemidorus [of Knidos], [Julius] Cæſar's friend, delivered him a Paper, (deſiring him to peruſe it,) vvherein the vvhole plot vvas diſcovered: But Cæſar complemented his life avvay, being ſo taken up, to return the ſalutations of ſuch People as met him in the vvay, that he pocketed the Paper, among other Petitions, as unconcerned therein, and ſo going to the Senate houſe, vvas ſlain.
      • 1649, Thomas Fuller, “The Just Mans Funeral”, in John Eglington Bailey, William E[dward] A[rmytage] Axon, editors, The Collected Sermons of Thomas Fuller, D.D. […], volume I, London: The Gresham Press; Unwin Brothers, […]; Pickering & Chatto, […], published 1891, →OCLC, paragraph 15, page 520:
        Thus Rabſhakeh pretended a Commiſſion from God for all the vvickedneſs he committed, and complements blaſphemie: […]
      • 1655, Thomas Fuller, “Section III. To the Honourable, the Lady Mary Fountaine. [Of the Suppression of the Order of Observant Friers, and a Preparatory for the Dissolution of All the Rest.].”, in The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, book VI, page 308:
        Hereupon, in the year of our Lord 1534, the aforeſaid vvhole Order of Friers Obſervant vvere ſuppreſſed, and Auguſtine-Friers ſubſtituted in their places. Nor vvere theſe Obſervants (like the Canon-Regulars in the laſt Chapter) diſpoſed of in other Foundations, but totally and finally baniſhed out of all Religious Societies. For, King Henry [VIII] his ſmiles complemented the former out of their Houſes, by their ovvn vvilling condeſcenſion; vvhilſt his frovvns outed theſe as Delinquents, by a violent expulſion.
      • 1658, Aston Cokain [i.e., Aston Cockayne], “Trappolin Creduto Principe. Or Trappolin Suppos’d a Prince. An Italian Trage-comedy. […]”, in Small Poems of Divers Sorts, London: […] Wil[liam] Godbid, →OCLC, Act III, scene i, page 469:
        Complement vvith me no more then I complement vvith you; good Madam ſiſter ſit you dovvn, I vvould talk vvith you a little.

    Catalan

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    Etymology

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    Borrowed from Latin complēmentum. Cf. also compliment.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    complement m (plural complements)

    1. complement
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    Romanian

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    Etymology

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    Etymology tree
    Proto-Indo-European *ḱe?
    Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm
    Proto-Italic *kom
    Proto-Italic *kom-
    Latin con-
    Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁-
    Proto-Italic *plēō
    Latin pleō
    Latin compleō
    Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥
    Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥tom
    Proto-Italic *-mentom
    Latin -mentum
    Latin complēmentumlbor.
    French complémentbor.
    Romanian complement

      Borrowed from French complément.

      Noun

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      complement n (plural complemente)

      1. complement

      Declension

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      singular plural
      indefinite definite indefinite definite
      nominative-accusative complement complementul complemente complementele
      genitive-dative complement complementului complemente complementelor
      vocative complementule complementelor
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