Etymology 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.
The totality, the full amount or number which completes something.
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.1851 November 14, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:
Some 11 members of Somerton council's complement of 15 stepped down on Tuesday.2009 October 30, The Guardian:
Astronomy, Geometry, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Sciences An angle which, together with a given angle, makes a right angle.
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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.
History is the complement of poetry.1854, James Stephen, On Desultory and Systematic Reading:
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.1962 October, Brian Haresnape, “Focus on B.R. passenger stations”, in Modern Railways, page 255:
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London's Kings Place, now one year old, established itself as a venue for imaginative programming, a complement to the evergreen Wigmore Hall.2009 December 13, The Guardian:
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Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences 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.
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.1988, Andrew Radford, chapter 7, in Transformational grammar: a first course, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, page 340:
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Biology, Epigraphy, Geography, History, Human sciences, Linguistics, Literature, Media, Natural sciences, Palaeography, Paleogeography, Paleography, Paleontology, Phonetics, Phonology, Publishing, Sciences 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).
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Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music An interval which, together with the given interval, makes an octave.
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Engineering, Natural sciences, Optics, Physical sciences, Physics The color which, when mixed with the given color, gives black (for mixing pigments) or white (for mixing light).
The complement of blue is orange.
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Mathematics, Sciences, 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).
The complement of the odd numbers is the even numbers, relative to the natural numbers.
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Immunology, Medicine, Sciences One of several blood proteins that work with antibodies during an immune response.
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Human sciences, Logic, Mathematics, Philosophy, Sciences An expression related to some other expression such that it is true under the same conditions that make other false, and vice versa.
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences A bit with the opposite value to the given one; the logical complement of a number.
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Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences The diminished radix complement of a number; the nines' complement of a decimal number; the ones' complement of a binary number.
The complement of 01100101#95;2 is 10011010#95;2.
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Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences The radix complement of a number; the two's complement of a binary number.
Biology, Genetics, Medicine, Natural sciences, Sciences 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.
Economics, SciencesAbbreviation Abbreviation of complementary good.
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Archaic Something (or someone) that completes; the consummation.
perform all those works of mercy, which Clemens Alexandrinus calls amoris et amicitiæ impletionem et extentionem, the extent and complement of love[…].1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC:
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Obsolete The act of completing something, or the fact of being complete; completion, completeness, fulfilment.
And both encreast the prayse of woman kynde, / And both encreast her beautie excellent: / So all did make in her a perfect complement.1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto V”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
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Obsolete Something which completes one's equipment, dress etc.; an accessory.
A doleful case desires a doleful song, Without vain art or curious complements.1591, Edmund Spenser, The Teares of the Muses [The Tears of the Muses]: Polyhymnia:
Garnish'd and deck'd in modest complement,1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
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A man should be judged by himselfe, and not by his complements.1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 42, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
Etymology 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.
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To complete, to bring to perfection, to make whole.
We believe your addition will complement the team.
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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.
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To change a voltage, number, color, etc. to its complement.