complement

Plural: complements

Noun

• a word or phrase used to complete a grammatical construction
• a complete number or quantity
  • "a full complement"
• number needed to make up a whole force
  • "a full complement of workers"
• something added to complete or embellish or make perfect
  • "a fine wine is a perfect complement to the dinner"
• one of a series of enzymes in the blood serum that are part of the immune response
• either of two parts that mutually complete each other
• The totality, the full amount or number which completes something.
• The whole working force of a vessel.
• An angle which, together with a given angle, makes a right angle.
• 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.
• 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.
• A phonetic complement is a graphic element that modifies another, such as (in Linear B script) a small syllabogram that is attached to a logogram as an abbreviation of its reading (as opposed to an adjunct that abbreviates an adjective that modifies that logogram).
• An interval which, together with the given interval, makes an octave.
• The color which, when mixed with the given color, gives black (for mixing pigments) or white (for mixing light).
• 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).
• One of several blood proteins that work with antibodies during an immune response.
• An expression related to some other expression such that it is true under the same conditions that make other false, and vice versa.
• A voltage level with the opposite logical sense to the given one.
• A bit with the opposite value to the given one; the logical complement of a number.
• The diminished radix complement of a number; the nines' complement of a decimal number; the ones' complement of a binary number.
• The radix complement of a number; the two's complement of a binary number.
• The numeric complement of a number.
• 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.
• Synonym of alexin.
• Abbreviation of complementary good.
• Something (or someone) that completes; the consummation.
• The act of completing something, or the fact of being complete; completion, completeness, fulfilment.
• Something which completes one's equipment, dress etc.; an accessory.
• Obsolete spelling or misspelling of compliment.

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"
• To complete, to bring to perfection, to make whole.
• To provide what the partner lacks and lack what the partner provides, thus forming part of a whole.
• To change a voltage, number, color, etc. to its complement.
• Obsolete spelling or misspelling of compliment.

Examples

• A DNA molecule is formed from two strands, each of which is the complement of the other.
• I believe our talents really complement each other.
• The complement of 01100101#95;2 is 10011010#95;2.
• The complement of 01100101#95;2 is 10011011#95;2.
• The complement of blue is orange.
• The complement of the odd numbers is the even numbers, relative to the natural numbers.
• The complement of −123 is 123.
• The flavors of the pepper and garlic complement each other, giving a very rich taste in combination.
• We believe your addition will complement the team.

Synonyms

accompaniment, full complement, alexin

Related Words

complementary, complete, compliment, counterpart, inversion, invert, negate, negation, supplement