Supplemental

How to spell supplemental

12 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce supplemental

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does supplemental mean?

1. adjectiveAdded to complete or enhance something, serving as an extra rather than the main part.

Supplemental in a sentence

• The textbook came with a supplemental workbook for extra practice.

• Employees can pay into a supplemental pension on top of the state scheme.

Where does supplemental come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb supplere, meaning 'to fill up' or 'to complete', which was built from sub- ('up from below') and plere ('to fill'). The same plere root gives English a whole family of fullness words, including 'complete', 'replete', and 'plenty'. From supplere came the noun 'supplement', borrowed through medieval Latin and Old French in the late 1300s for something added to fill a gap or make a thing whole. The adjective 'supplemental' was formed in English by adding the suffix -al, and it has long sat alongside the close synonym 'supplementary'. The double p in the spelling reflects the Latin assimilation of sub- to sup- before the p of plere, which is the detail writers most often drop.

How the word is built

• supple- (from Latin supplere: to fill up, complete)
• -ment (noun-forming suffix)
• -al (adjective suffix)