Complement
verbTo complete something or combine with it in a way that enhances or improves the whole.
How to spell complement
10 letters · 3 syllables
53 of the 100 people asked to spell complement in Spelling Garden got it wrong the first time.
How to pronounce complement
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does complement mean?
- verbTo complete something or combine with it in a way that enhances or improves the whole.
- nounSomething that completes or perfects another thing, or the full quantity needed to make something whole.
Complement in a sentence
-
verb
The wine will complement the meal perfectly.
-
noun
The ship finally had its full complement of crew.
-
verb
Her dress was the perfect complement to his suit.
-
noun
A crisp salad is the ideal complement to grilled fish.
-
verb
These flavours really complement each other.
-
verb
The new player will complement the existing team.
Where does complement come from?
Language of origin: Latin
Complement comes from the Latin complementum, meaning 'that which fills up or completes', built on the verb complere, 'to fill up', which joins com- 'together, completely' with plere 'to fill'. The same plere root gives us 'complete', 'replete', and 'plenty', all carrying that core idea of fullness. English borrowed the word in the late 1300s, originally meaning something that completes or perfects a whole. For centuries complement and compliment were spelled almost interchangeably, since both descend from complere by different routes, but English eventually split them: complement (with an e) keeps the 'completing' sense, while compliment (with an i) drifted, via Italian and French, toward polite praise. Remembering that complement completes, and both share the letter e, is the surest way to avoid the classic mix-up.
How the word is built
- com-
- ple (fill, from plere)
- -ment
People who misspell complement also struggle with
Of the Spelling Garden players who got complement wrong the first time, this is how many also got each of these wrong.
- connoisseur 94% of them got it wrong
- idiosyncrasy 90% of them got it wrong
- supersede 89% of them got it wrong
- battalion 85% of them got it wrong
- butte 82% of them got it wrong
- millennium 81% of them got it wrong
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