com·ple·ment
ˈkäm-plə-mənt
1
a
: something that fills up, completes, or makes better or perfect
The scarf is a perfect complement to her outfit.
b(1)
: the full quantity, number, or assortment needed or included
… the usual complement of eyes and ears …—Francis Parkman
… after several more minutes of waiting, the full complement of runners was sent off by the starter's pistol.—Craig Neff
(2)
: the whole force or personnel of a ship
c
: one of two mutually completing parts : counterpart
She is a kind of complement to me, and we get on famously.—Flannery O'Connor
2
: an added word or expression by which a predication is made complete (such as president in "they elected him president" and beautiful in "he thought her beautiful")
3
a
: the angle or arc that when added to a given angle or arc equals a right angle in measure
b
: the set of all elements that do not belong to a given set and are contained in a particular mathematical set containing the given set
c
: a number that when added to a certain number of the same sign yields a number with the digit 1 as the significant digit farthest to the left and the digit 0 in every other digit place
—used especially in assembly language programming
5
: the thermolabile group of proteins in normal blood serum and plasma that in combination with antibodies causes the destruction especially of particulate antigens (such as bacteria and foreign blood corpuscles)
com·ple·ment
ˈkäm-plə-ˌment
complemented; complementing; complements
1
: to complete or enhance by providing something additional : to be complementary to
The illustrations complement the text.
2
obsolete
: compliment
obsolete
: to exchange formal courtesies
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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