Link Centre Dictionary

complement

comp·le·ment

UK/ˈkɒmpləmənt/ US/ˈkɑmpləmənt/ uncommon archaic obsolete
noun (6) verb (1)

noun

1.
2.

a complete number or quantity

  • “a full complement”
3.

number needed to make up whole force

  • “a full complement of workers”
Synonyms
4.

something added to complete or make perfect

  • “a fine wine is a perfect complement to the dinner”
5.

one of a series of enzymes in the blood serum that are part of the immune response

6.

either of two parts that mutually complete each other

verb

1.

make complete or perfect; supply what is wanting or form the complement to

  • “I need some pepper to complement the sweet touch in the soup”

Origin

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.

Phrases

  • clausal complement
  • complement membrane attack complex
  • complement protein
  • complement system
  • diminished radix complement
  • full complement
  • in complement
  • logical complement

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.