[ad. L. complēmentum that which fills up or completes, f. complē-re to fill up: see COMPLETE and -MENT. Cf. F. complément (a single 14th-c. instance in Littré). In the group of senses under II, the word has since c. 1655–1725 been supplanted by the parallel F. word COMPLIMENT.]
I. Senses still written complement.
† 1. The action of fulfilling or completing; completion, fulfilment, accomplishment. Obs.
1419. R. Holme, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., II. 20, I. 65. To the complement of ȝoure said charge … we have doon owre entier peyne.
1591. Spenser, M. Hubberd, 338. For a full complement of all their ill, They stole away.
1621. Ainsworth, Annot. Pentat., Gen. xviii. 10. By the complement of the thing promised.
1721. Strype, Eccl. Mem., II. I. x. 78. Sums of money … in complement of the deceased king’s will.
† 2. The fact or condition of being complete; completeness, fullness. Obs.
1643. Sir T. Browne, Relig. Med., I. § 39. Not in complement and perfection.
1677. Hale, Prim. Orig. Man., 1. The Sensible Nature in its complement and integrity hath … five exterior Senses.
b. Her. Fullness (of the moon).
1610. Guillim, Heraldry, III. iii. 91. Diuers denominations [of Moon] in Heraldrie; as her Increment … her Complement, when she is at Full; her Decrement.
1766. Porny, Her. (1787), 142. A Moon in her complement Or, illustrated with all her light proper.
1882. Cussans, Handbk. Her., 102. The Moon … when full-faced and shining … is described as In her Complement or Plenitude.
3. That which completes or makes perfect; the completion, perfection, consummation.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., V. xxxvi. (1495), 149. The herte … is complement and perfeccion of beest.
1594. Spenser, Amoretti, xxiv. That beauties wonderment … Of Natures skill the only complement.
1656. Trapp, Comm. John xv. 12. Love is the complement of the law and the supplement of the Gospel.
1712. Steele, Spect., No. 268, ¶ 3. Men rather seek for Money as the Complement of all their Desires.
1860. Adler, Fauriel’s Prov. Poetry, ii. 33. The works of Petrarch may be regarded as the complement and consummation of the amatory poetry of the Provençals.
1873. Smiles, Huguenots Fr., II. ii. (1881), 362. ‘The grand tour’ was considered the complement of English education.
b. Gram. One or more words joined to another to complete the sense (see quots.).
1874. trans. Maetzner’s Eng. Gram., III. 21. The infinitive with to may also take the place of a predicative complement.
1876. Mason, Eng. Gram., § 391. Many verbs do not make complete sense by themselves … and the words used with them to make predication complete may be called the complement of the predicate. Ibid., § 395. The third kind of complement is that which follows such verbs as can, will, must, etc…. This may be termed the infinitive complement.
4. The quantity or amount that completes or fills; complete quantity, provision, or set; full allowance, totality.
1589. Puttenham, Eng. Poesie, II. ii. (Arb.), 80. Matter sufficient to make a full periode or complement of sence.
1776. Adam Smith, W. N., I. I. ix. 99. That full complement of riches which is consistent with the nature of its laws.
1798. Naval Chron. (1799), I. 82. Many … were … busy in completing the complement of their sails.
1850. T. S. Baynes, New Anal. Logical Forms, 70. We may, it is evident, regard any whole, considered as the complement of its parts, in either of two ways.
b. esp. with possessive: ‘his complement,’ etc.
1637. R. Humfrey, trans. St. Ambrose, Pref. That which maketh up their complement.
1697. Dampier, Voy. (1698), I. xi. 318. They will sell 10 or 15 Tuns out of 100, and yet seemingly carry their complement [of Cloves] to Batavia; for they will pour water among the remaining part of their Cargo.
1790. Wolcott (P. Pindar), Advice to Fut. Laureat, Wks. 1812, II. 340. Brains that want their complement of Wits.
1823. W. Scoresby, Jrnl. Voy. N. Whale Fishery, 122. The obvious want of their proper complement of oars.
1856. Mrs. Browning, Aur. Leigh, I. 399. I learnt my complement of classic French.
c. The full number required to complete a company, to fill a conveyance, or esp. to man a ship.
1600. Hakluyt, Voy. (1810), III. 89. Commanding our General, not to exceede his Complement and number appointed him.
c. 1710. Celia Fiennes, Diary (1888), 70. An hospitall … for Seamens widdows, 30 is their Complement.
1748. Anson’s Voy., I. i. (ed. 4), 7. His squadron wanted three hundred seamen of their complement.
1798. in Nicolas, Disp. Nelson (1846), VII. 168. Many of the Ships had Troops on board above the complement.
1842. T. Martin, in Fraser’s Mag., Dec. ‘Ve’ve got our complement [in the omnibus] any vay.’
1846. Prescott, Ferd. & Is., II. xviii. 162. The complement of the fleet was … fixed at twelve hundred souls.
5. Something that, when added, completes or makes up a whole; each of two parts which mutually complete each other, or supply each other’s deficiencies.
1827. Hallam, Const. Hist. (1876), III. xvi. 198. The act of settlement was … the complement of the Revolution itself and the bill of rights.
1850. McCosh, Div. Govt., III. i. (1874), 318. Justice and Love are each the complement of the other.
1850. Froude, Short Stud., Lives Saints (1867), 377. The animal and the spiritual are … the complements in the perfect character.
1879. Geo. Eliot, Coll. Breakf. P., 334. Crushing me To a subordinate complement of you.
b. Math.
Complements of a parallelogram: the two lesser parallelograms, not on the diagonal, made by drawing lines parallel to the sides of a given parallelogram, through the same point in its diagonal. Complement of an arc or angle: the angular amount which, added to a given arc or angle, makes up 90 degrees (formerly also some multiple of 90°: cf. SUPPLEMENT); abbrev. (esp. in Trig.) into CO: see CO- 4. Arithmetical complement: the sum which, added to a given number, makes up unity, ten, or the next higher multiple of ten; esp. Complement of a logarithm, the number by which a logarithm falls short of ten.
1570. Billingsley, Euclid, I. xliii. 54. The parallelogrammes about the diameter he [Pelitarius] calleth Complementes.
1594. Blundevil, Exerc., ii. (ed. 7), 106. To find out the complement … subtract the given Arch out of the whole quadrant.
1660. Barrow, Euclid, I. xxxvi.
1696. Phillips, Complement of an Angle, is so much as the Arch wanteth of ninety Degrees … or … of 180 Degrees or … of 360 Degrees.
1727–51. Chambers, Cycl., Arithmetical complement of a logarithm, is what the logarithm wants of 10.0000000.
1796. Hutton, Math. Dict., The complement to 180° is usually called the supplement.
1807. Hutton, Course Math., II. 2. The Cosine, Cotangent, and Cosecant, of an arc, are the sine, tangent, and secant of the complement of that arc.
1832. Brewster, Optics, xix. 169. The maximum polarising angle … is the complement of the angle of refraction.
c. Astron. The difference between the altitude, latitude, declination, etc. of a heavenly body, and 90 degrees. Abbrev. CO-ALTITUDE, -LATITUDE, etc.
1703. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., 322. The Complement of the Poles Elevation … (here at London where the Pole is elevated 511/2 Degrees) is 381/2 Degrees.
1730–6. Bailey (folio), Complement, the distance of a star from the zenith, or the arch that is comprehended between the place of a star above the horizon and the zenith.
1816. Playfair, Nat. Phil., II. 87. If … the sun’s greatest altitude in summer, and his least altitude in winter, be determined, half the sum of these altitudes is the complement of the latitude.
d. Navig.
1696. Phillips, Complement of the Course, so many Points as the Course wants of 90 Degrees or eight Points.
1727–51. Chambers, Cycl.
1867. Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., s.v.
† e. Complement of Life (see quot.). Obs.
1796. Hutton, Dict. Math., Complement of Life, a term much used … by De Moivre [1725 Annuities upon Lives], and, according to him, it denotes the number of years which a given life wants of 86 … which he considered as the utmost probable extent of life.
f. Fortif. C. of the curtain, etc.: see quots.
1708. Kersey, Complement of the Courtin … the Remainder of the Courtin after its Flank is taken away. Complement of the Line of Defence, is the Remainder of the Line of Defence, after you have taken away the Angle of the Flank.
1727–51. Chambers, Cycl.
1853. Stocqueler, Mil. Encycl.
g. Music. The interval which, together with any given interval, makes up a complete octave.
1873. H. C. Banister, Music, 40. The inversion of an interval being its complement—that which, added to it, would constitute it an 8ve.
h. Optics. That color which, mixed with another, produces white.
1869. Tyndall, in Fortn. Rev., 1 Feb. Every point occupied by a certain colour in the first instance is occupied by the complement of that colour in the second.
II. Senses connected with COMPLIMENT, and now so written in 9.
† 6. Anything that goes to make up or fully equip; a completing accessory or adjunct. Obs.
1586. A. Day, Eng. Secretarie, I. (1625), 33. Unarmed against him that was armed, unfurnished against him that had all manner of complements of warre.
1602. R. T., Serm. With all the adjuncts, properties, qualities, duties and complements belonging unto them.
1607. Lingua, II. ii., heading, in Hazl., Dodsley, IX. 367. Rings, jewels, a fan, and in every place other odd complements.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts (1658), 360. He … armed himself with a Musket, Sword and Dagger, and other complements.
1693. Sir T. Blount, Nat. Hist., 130. Tobacco is by few now taken as Medicinal, it is of late … faln from a Physician to a Complement.
† 7. That which goes to ‘complete’ the gentleman; a personal accomplishment or quality. Obs.
1586. A. Day, Eng. Secretarie, I. (1625), 146. One whose birth, education, or other complements may sufficiently answere.
1600. B. Jonson, Ev. Man out of Hum., I. ii. All the rare qualities, humours and complements of a Gentleman.
1636. Heywood, Challenge Beauty, II. Wks. 1874, V. 18. What Thinke you of this stranger?… Of his carriage and complement.
† 8. Any observance that tends to give completeness to the expression of worship, honor, reverence, or the like; a ceremony, a formality. Obs.
1597. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., V. lviii. § 4. If the case … permitteth not baptism to have the decent complements of baptism.
1609. Holland, Amm. Marcell., XXVI. vii. 296. Bound with firm religious complements. Ibid. (1610), Camden’s Brit. (1637), 167. Earles were created in old time without any complement or ceremonie at all.
1643. Prynne, Sov. Power Parl., II. 75. The royall assent … is in truth but a formall Ceremony or complement.
1646. F. Hawkins, Youths Behav., ii. § 16. For that which concerneth Ceremonies or Complements.
† b. Observance of ceremony in social relations; ceremoniousness; formal civility, politeness, or courtesy. To keep complement: to observe ceremony. Obs. Now COMPLIMENT.
1588. Shaks., L. L. L., IV. ii. 147. Stay not thy complement, I forgiue thy duetie, adue. Ibid. (1592), Rom. & Jul., II. ii. 89. Faine would I dwell on forme … but farewell Complement. Doest thou Loue? Ibid. (1601), Twel. N., III. i. 110. Twas neuer merry world, Since lowly feigning was call’d complement. Ibid. (1605), Lear, I. i. 306. Further complement of leaue-taking.
1623. Cockeram, Complement … fine behaviour.
1626. W. Sclater, Expos. 2 Thess. (1629), 305. Euen Religion allowes ciuill curtesie: nor are Apostles so precise but to keepe complement.
1641. Brome, Joviall Crew, II. 388. A meer load of outward complement.
1670. Walton, Lives, Introd. 9. True friendship.. Is not discharged by complement, and show.
† 9. A ceremonious or formal tribute of (mere) courtesy paid to any one; pl. ceremonies of civility or politeness. Now COMPLIMENT, q.v.
1578. T. N., trans. Conq. W. India, 264. People, with whome such complementes should not be used.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., VI. x. 23. Friendly offices … all the complements of courtesie.
1610. Fletcher, Faithf. Sheph., V. i. Banish all complements, but single truth From every tongue.
1647. Clarendon, Hist. Reb., I. (1843), 15/1. The King … made great Complements to the Duke [printed edd. compliments].
1653. Holcroft, Procopius, II. 28. Courting with gifts, and invitations to his table, and other complements.
1665. G. Havers, P. della Valle’s Trav. E. Ind., 376. Their Heads are continually covered with a Shash … which they never pull off, as we do our Hats in Complements.
1694. R. L’Estrange, Fables, liv. (1714), 67. The Fox return’d the Complement.
1707. Farquhar, Beaux’ Strat., V. iii. 64. Come, come, my Lady, this is no time for Complements.
