Associations to the word «Complement»

Wiktionary

COMPLEMENT, noun. (now rare) Something (or someone) that completes; the consummation. [from 14th c.]
COMPLEMENT, noun. (obsolete) The act of completing something, or the fact of being complete; completion, completeness, fulfilment. [15th-18th c.]
COMPLEMENT, noun. The totality, the full amount or number which completes something. [from 16th c.]
COMPLEMENT, noun. (obsolete) Something which completes one's equipment, dress etc.; an accessory. [16th-17th c.]
COMPLEMENT, noun. (nautical) The whole working force of a vessel.
COMPLEMENT, noun. (heraldry) Fullness (of the moon). [from 17th c.]
COMPLEMENT, noun. (astronomy) (geometry) An angle which, together with a given angle, makes a right angle. [from 18th c.]
COMPLEMENT, noun. 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. [from 19th c.]
COMPLEMENT, noun. (grammar) 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. [from 19th c.]
COMPLEMENT, noun. (music) An interval which, together with the given interval, makes an octave. [from 19th c.]
COMPLEMENT, noun. (optics) The color which, when mixed with the given color, gives black (for mixing pigments) or white (for mixing light). [from 19th c.]
COMPLEMENT, noun. (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). [from 20th c.]
COMPLEMENT, noun. (immunology) One of several blood proteins that work with antibodies during an immune response. [from 20th c.]
COMPLEMENT, noun. (logic) An expression related to some other expression such that it is true under the same conditions that make other false, and vice versa. [from 20th c.]
COMPLEMENT, noun. (electronics) A voltage level with the opposite logical sense to the given one.
COMPLEMENT, noun. (computing) A bit with the opposite value to the given one; the logical complement of a number.
COMPLEMENT, noun. (computing) (mathematics) The diminished radix complement of a number; the nines' complement of a decimal number; the ones' complement of a binary number.
COMPLEMENT, noun. (computing) (mathematics) The radix complement of a number; the two's complement of a binary number.
COMPLEMENT, noun. (computing) (mathematics) The numeric complement of a number.
COMPLEMENT, noun. (genetics) 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.
COMPLEMENT, noun. Obsolete spelling of compliment
COMPLEMENT, verb. To complete, to bring to perfection, to make whole.
COMPLEMENT, verb. To provide what the partner lacks and lack what the partner provides.
COMPLEMENT, verb. To change a voltage, number, color, etc. to its complement.
COMPLEMENT, verb. Obsolete form of compliment.
COMPLEMENT MEMBRANE ATTACK COMPLEX, noun. (immunology) A formation of transmembrane channels on the surface of a pathogenic bacterial cell that disrupts the phospholipid bilayer of the target cell resulting in its destruction.
COMPLEMENT SYSTEM, noun. (immunology) An aspect of the innate immune system that supplements the actions of the antibodies and phagocytic cells in clearing out pathogens from an organism.

Dictionary definition

COMPLEMENT, noun. A word or phrase used to complete a grammatical construction.
COMPLEMENT, noun. A complete number or quantity; "a full complement".
COMPLEMENT, noun. Number needed to make up a whole force; "a full complement of workers".
COMPLEMENT, noun. Something added to complete or embellish or make perfect; "a fine wine is a perfect complement to the dinner"; "wild rice was served as an accompaniment to the main dish".
COMPLEMENT, noun. One of a series of enzymes in the blood serum that are part of the immune response.
COMPLEMENT, noun. Either of two parts that mutually complete each other.
COMPLEMENT, verb. 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".

Wise words

Words, words, words! They shut one off from the universe. Three quarters of the time one's never in contact with things, only with the beastly words that stand for them.
Aldous Huxley