Etymology : Middle English, from Latin complementum, from complEre to fill up, complete, from com- + plEre to fill; more at FULL
Pronunciation : 'käm-pl&-m&nt
Function : noun
Date : 14th century
1. that which makes perfect; something added to complete; that which fills or makes whole; counterpart, corresponding part; number of crew members required on a ship. complete, make whole, make perfect. complement\com"ple*ment\ , n. [l. complementun: cf. f. complément. see:
complete, v. t., and cf. compliment.].
2. that which fills up or completes; the quantity or number required to fill a thing or make it complete.
3. that which is required to supply a deficiency, or to complete a symmetrical whole. history is the complement of poetry. stephen.
4. full quantity, number, or amount; a complete set; completeness. to exceed his complement and number appointed him which was one hundred and twenty persons. akluyt.
5. (math.) a second quantity added to a given quantity to make it equal to a third given quantity.
6. something added for ornamentation; an accessory. [obs.] without vain art or curious complements.
7. (naut.) the whole working force of a vessel.
8. (mus.) the interval wanting to complete the octave; -- the fourth is the complement of the fifth, the sixth of the third.
9. a compliment. [obs.].
10. That which fills up or completes; the quantity or number required to fill a thing or make it complete.
11. That which is required to supply a deficiency, or to complete a symmetrical whole.
12. Full quantity, number, or amount; a complete set; completeness.
13. A second quantity added to a given quantity to make it equal to a third given quantity.
14. Something added for ornamentation; an accessory.
15. The whole working force of a vessel.
16. The interval wanting to complete the octave; the fourth is the complement of the fifth, the sixth of the third.
17. A compliment.
18. To supply a lack; to supplement.
19. To compliment. something added to complete or make perfect; "a fine wine is a perfect complement to the dinner" either of two parts that mutually complete each other a word or phrase used to complete a grammatical construction number needed to make up whole force; "a full complement of workers" a complete number or quantity; "a full complement" one of a series of enzymes in the blood serum that are part of the immune response 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".
20. 1. If one thing complements another, it goes well with the other thing and makes its good qualities more noticeable. Nutmeg, parsley and cider all complement the flavour of these beans well. = set off.
21. If people or things complement each other, they are different or do something different, which makes them a good combination. There will be a written examination to complement the practical test We complement one another perfectly.
22. Something that is a complement to something else complements it. The green wallpaper is the perfect complement to the old pine of the dresser.
23. The complement of things or people that something has is the number of things or people that it normally has, which enable it to function properly. Each ship had a complement of around a dozen officers and 250 men.
24. In grammar, the complement of a link verb is an adjective group or noun group which comes after the verb and describes or identifies the subject. For example, in the sentence `They felt very tired', `very tired' is the complement. In `They were students', `students' is the complement. to make a good combination with someone or something else. In physiology, a complex system of at least 20 proteins (complement components) in normal blood serum. The binding of one component to an antigen-antibody complex begins a chemical chain reaction important in many immunological processes, including breakdown of foreign and infected cells, ingestion of foreign particles and cell debris, and inflammation of surrounding tissue. Complement components and antibodies are the substances in human serum responsible for killing bacteria.