That which fills up or completes; the quantity or number required to fill a thing or make it complete. [1913 Webster]
That which is required to supply a deficiency, or to complete a symmetrical whole. [1913 Webster]
"History is the complement of poetry." [1913 Webster]
Full quantity, number, or amount; a complete set; completeness. [1913 Webster]
"To exceed his complement and number appointed him which was one hundred and twenty persons." [1913 Webster]
A second quantity added to a given quantity to make it equal to a third given quantity. [1913 Webster]
Something added for ornamentation; an accessory. [1913 Webster]
"Without vain art or curious complements." [1913 Webster]
The whole working force of a vessel. [1913 Webster]
The interval wanting to complete the octave; -- the fourth is the complement of the fifth, the sixth of the third. [1913 Webster]
A compliment. Shak. [1913 Webster]

Arithmetical compliment of a logarithm. See under Logarithm. -- Arithmetical complement of a number (Math.), the difference between that number and the next higher power of 10; as, 4 is the complement of 6, and 16 of 84. -- Complement of an arc or Complement of an angle (Geom.), the difference between that arc or angle and 90 -- Complement of a parallelogram. (Math.) See Gnomon. -- In her complement (Her.), said of the moon when represented as full.

complement, v. t.

To supply a lack; to supplement. [1913 Webster]
To compliment. Jer. Taylor. [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

complement, n. & v.
--n.
1 a something that completes. b one of a pair, or one of two things that go together.
2 (often full complement) the full number needed to man a ship, fill a conveyance, etc.
3 Gram. a word or phrase added to a verb to complete the predicate of a sentence.
4 Biochem. a group of proteins in the blood capable of lysing bacteria etc.
5 Math. any element not belonging to a specified set or class.
6 Geom. the amount by which an angle is less than 90Â° (cf. SUPPLEMENT).
--v.tr.
1 complete.
2 form a complement to (the scarf complements her dress).

Derivative

complemental adj.

Etymology

ME f. L complementum (as COMPLETE)

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THESAURUS

complement

A to Z, A to izzard, IC analysis, accession, accessory, accompaniment, add to, addenda, addendum, additament, addition, additive, additory, additum, adjunct, adjuvant, age group, aggregate, all, all and sundry, allowance, ally, alpha and omega, alter ego, analogon, analogue, annex, annexation, answer, answer to, appanage, appendage, appendant, appositive, appurtenance, appurtenant, assemblage, associate, attachment, attribute, attributive, augment, augmentation, bakehead, band, battalion, be-all, be-all and end-all, beginning and end, bellyful, bevy, black gang, body, boilerman, brigade, brother, bumper, bunch, bungs, cabal, cabin boy, capacity, cast, charge, chips, clique, close copy, close match, coda, coequal, cognate, cohort, commissary steward, companion, company, complete, completion, concomitant, confirmation, congenator, congener, construction modifier, consummation, contingent, continuation, coordinate, corollary, corps, correlate, correlative, correspond, correspond to, correspondent, coterie, counterpart, covey, cram, crew, crowd, crush, cutting, deckhand, deckie, deep structure, detachment, detail, direct object, division, each and every, eight, eleven, enhance, enhancement, enrichment, equivalent, everything, extension, extrapolation, faction, fellow, fill, filler, fireman, first string, first team, five, fixture, fleet, form-function unit, full house, full measure, function, gang, group, grouping, groupment, gun loader, gunner, hand, hospital steward, image, immediate constituent analysis, in-group, increase, increment, indirect object, jam up, junta, kindred spirit, lading, landing signalman, length and breadth, levels, like, likeness, load, mail orderly, makeweight, mate, mob, modifier, mouthful, movement, navigator, near duplicate, nine, object, obverse, offshoot, oiler, one and all, out-group, outfit, pack, package, package deal, parallel, party, peer group, pendant, perfect, perfection, phalanx, phrase structure, picture, platoon, posse, predicate, purser, qualifier, quorum, quota, radio operator, ranks, reciprocal, reciprocate, regiment, reinforcement, reserves, respond to, round out, roustabout, rowing crew, salon, second self, second string, second team, set, set off, shallow structure, side effect, side issue, similitude, simulacrum, sister, skinful, slot, slot and filler, snip, snips, snootful, soul mate, sparks, squad, stable, steward, stewardess, stoker, strata, string, structure, subject, such, suchlike, supplement, surface structure, syntactic analysis, syntactic structure, syntactics, syntax, tagmeme, tailpiece, tally, team, the corpus, the ensemble, the entirety, the like of, the likes of, the lot, the whole, the whole range, third string, top off, torpedoman, tribe, troop, troupe, twin, undergirding, underlying structure, varsity, watch, wing, word arrangement, word order, yeoman

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ROGET THESAURUS

complement

Adjunct

N adjunct, addition, additament, additum, affix, appelidage, annexe, annex, augment, augmentation, increment, reinforcement, supernumerary, accessory, item, garnish, sauce, accompaniment, adjective, addendum, complement, supplement, continuation, rider, offshoot, episode, side issue, corollary, piece, flap, lappet, skirt, embroidery, trappings, cortege, tail, suffix, wing, additional, alate, alated, winged, in addition.

Remainder

N remainder, residue, remains, remanent, remnant, rest, relic, leavings, heeltap, odds and ends, cheesepairings, candle ends, orts, residuum, dregs, refuse, stubble, result, educt, fag-end, ruins, wreck, skeleton, stump, alluvium, surplus, overplus, excess, balance, complement, superplus, surplusage, superfluity, survival, survivance, remaining, left, left behind left over, residual, residuary, over, odd, unconsumed, sedimentary, surviving, net, exceeding, over and above, outlying, outstanding, cast off, superfluous.

Completeness

N completeness, completion, integration, allness, entirety, perfection, solidity, solidarity, unity, all, ne plus ultra, ideal, limit, complement, supplement, make-weight, filling, up, impletion, saturation, saturity, high water, high tide, flood tide, spring tide, fill, load, bumper, bellyful, brimmer, sufficiency, complete, entire, whole, perfect, full, good, absolute, thorough, plenary, solid, undivided, with all its parts, all- sided, exhaustive, radical, sweeping, thorough-going, dead, regular, consummate, unmitigated, sheer, unqualified, unconditional, free, abundant, brimming, brimful, topful, topfull, chock full, choke full, as full as an egg is of meat, as full as a vetch, saturated, crammed, replete, fraught, laden, full-laden, full-fraught, full-charged, heavy laden, completing, supplemental, supplementary, ascititious, completely, altogether, outright, wholly, totally, in toto, quite, all out, over head and ears, effectually, for good and all, nicely, fully, through thick and thin, head and shoulders, neck and heel, neck and crop, in all respects, in every respect, at all points, out and out, to all intents and purposes, toto coelo, utterly, clean, clean as a whistle, to the full, to the utmost, to the backbone, hollow, stark, heart and soul, root and branch, down to the ground, to the top of one's bent, as far as possible, a outrance, throughout, from first to last, from beginning to end, from end to end, from one end to the other, from Dan to Beersheba, from head to foot, from top to toe, from top to bottom, de fond en comble, a fond, a capite ad calcem, ab ovo usque ad mala, fore and aft, every, whit, every inch, cap-a-pie, to the end of the chapter, up to the brim, up to the ears, up to the eyes, as a as can be, on all accounts, sous tous les rapports, with a vengeance, with a witness, falsus in uno falsus in omnibus, false in one thing, false in everything, omnem movere lapidem, una scopa nuova spazza bene.

Number

N number, symbol, numeral, figure, cipher, digit, integer, counter, round number, formula, function, series, sum, difference, complement, subtrahend, product, multiplicand, multiplier, multiplicator, coefficient, multiple, dividend, divisor, factor, quotient, submultiple, fraction, rational number, surd, irrational number, transcendental number, mixed number, complex number, complex conjugate, numerator, denominator, decimal, circulating decimal, repetend, common measure, aliquot part, prime number, prime, relative prime, prime factor, prime pair, reciprocal, totient, binary number, octal number, hexadecimal number, permutation, combination, variation, election, ratio, proportion, comparison, progression, arithmetical progression, geometrical progression, harmonical progression, percentage, permilage, figurate numbers, pyramidal numbers, polygonal numbers, power, root, exponent, index, logarithm, antilogarithm, modulus, base, differential, integral, fluxion, fluent, numeral, complementary, divisible, aliquot, reciprocal, prime, relatively prime, fractional, decimal, figurate, incommensurable, proportional, exponential, logarithmic, logometric, differential, fluxional, integral, totitive, positive, negative, rational, irrational, surd, radical, real, complex, imaginary, finite, infinite, impossible, numerically, modulo.

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