Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Latin
Origin: complementum, from complere; COMPLETE1

complement

1 noun
     
Related topics: Grammar
com‧ple‧ment1 [countable]
1 someone or something that emphasizes the good qualities of another person or thing
complement to
This wine would be a nice complement to grilled dishes.
2 the number or quantity needed to make a group complete
complement of
Each new cell will carry its full complement of chromosomes.
3SLG technical a word or phrase that follows a verb and describes the subject of the verb. In 'John is cold' and 'John became chairman', 'cold' and 'chairman' are complements.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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