The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
Chapter 309
Others proclaim the infirmities of a great man with satisfaction and complacency , if they discover none of the like in themselves. Addison.
2. The cause of pleasure or joy. "O thou, my sole complacence ."
Milton.
3. The manifestation of contentment or satisfaction; good nature; kindness; civility; affability.
Complacency , and truth, and manly sweetness, Dwell ever on his tongue, and smooth his thoughts. Addison.
With mean complacence ne'er betray your trust. Pope.
Complacent <Xpage=290>
Com*pla"cent (?) , a. [L. complacens very pleasing, p. pr. of complacere ; com- + placere to please: cf. F. complaisant . See Please and cf. Complaisant .] Self-satisfied; contented; kindly; as, a complacent temper; a complacent smile.
They look up with a sort of complacent awe . . . to kings. Burke.
Complacential <Xpage=290>
Com`pla*cen"tial (?) , a. Marked by, or causing, complacence. [Obs.] " Complacential love."
Baxter.
Complacently <Xpage=290>
Com*pla"cent*ly (?) , adv. In a complacent manner.
Complain <Xpage=290>
Com*plain" (?) , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Complained (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Complaining .] [F. complaindre , LL. complangere ; com- + L. plangere to strike, beat, to beat the breast or head as a sign of grief, to lament. See Plaint .] 1. To give utterance to expression of grief, pain, censure, regret. etc.; to lament; to murmur; to find fault; -- commonly used with of . Also, to creak or squeak, as a timber or wheel.
O lose of sight, of three I most complain ! Milton.
2. To make a formal accusation; to make a charge.
Now, Master Shallow, you'll complain of me to the king? Shak.
Syn. -- To repine; grumble; deplore; bewail; grieve; mourn; regret; murmur.
Complain <Xpage=290>
Com*plain" , v. t. To lament; to bewail. [Obs.]
They might the grievance inwardly complain . Daniel.
By chaste Lucrece's soul that late complain'd Her wrongs to us. Shak.
Complainable <Xpage=290>
Com*plain"a*ble (?) , a. That may be complained of. [R.]
Feltham.
Complainant <Xpage=290>
Com*plain"ant (?) , n. [F. complaignant , p. pr. of complaindre .] 1. One who makes complaint.
Eager complainants of the dispute. Collier.
2. (Law) (a) One who commences a legal process by a complaint. (b) The party suing in equity, answering to the plaintiff at common law.
He shall forfeit one moiety to the use of the town, and the other moiety to the use of the complainant . Statutes of Mass.
Complainer <Xpage=290>
Com*plain"er (?) , n. One who complains or laments; one who finds fault; a murmurer.
Beattie.
Speechless complainer , I will learn thy thought. Shak.
Complaint <Xpage=290>
Com*plaint" (?) , n. [F. complainte . See Complain .] 1. Expression of grief, regret, pain, censure, or resentment; lamentation; murmuring; accusation; fault-finding.
I poured out my complaint before him. Ps. cxlii. 2.
Grievous complaints of you. Shak.
2. Cause or subject of complaint or murmuring.
The poverty of the clergy in England hath been the complaint of all who wish well to the church. Swift.
3. An ailment or disease of the body.
One in a complaint of his bowels. Arbuthnot.
4. (Law) A formal allegation or charge against a party made or presented to the appropriate court or officer, as for a wrong done or a crime committed (in the latter case, generally under oath); an information; accusation; the initial bill in proceedings in equity.
Syn. -- Lamentation; murmuring; sorrow; grief; disease; illness; disorder; malady; ailment.
Complaintful <Xpage=290>
Com*plaint"ful (?) , a. Full of complaint. [Obs.]
Complaisance <Xpage=290>
Com"plai*sance` (?; 277) , n. [F. complaisance . See Complaisant , and cf. Complacence .] Disposition to please or oblige; obliging compliance with the wishes of others; a deportment indicative of a desire to please; courtesy; civility.
These [ladies] . . . are by the just complaisance and gallantry of our nation the most powerful part of our people. Addison.
They strive with their own hearts and keep them down, In complaisance to all the fools in town. Young.
Syn. -- Civility; courtesy; urbanity; suavity; affability; good breeding.
Complaisant <Xpage=290>
Com"plai*sant (?) , a. [F. complaisant , p. pr. of complaire to acquiesce as a favor, fr. L. complacere . See Complacent .] Desirous to please; courteous; obliging; compliant; as, a complaisant gentleman .
There are to whom my satire seems too bold: Scarce to wise Peter complaisant enough. Pope.
Syn. -- Obliging; courteous; affable; gracious; civil; polite; well-bred. See Obliging .
-- Com"plai*sant`ly , adv. -- Com"plai*sant`ness , n.
Complanar <Xpage=290>
Com*pla"nar (?) , a. See Coplanar .
Complanate <Xpage=290>
Com"pla*nate (? ∨ <?/) , a. [L. complanatus , p. p. of complanare to make plane. See Plane , v. t. ] Flattened to a level surface. [R.]
Complanate <Xpage=290>
Com"pla*nate (?) , v. t. To make level. [R.]
Complected <Xpage=290>
Com*plect"ed (?) , a. Complexioned. [Low, New Eng.]
Complement <Xpage=290>
Com"ple*ment (?) , n. [L. complementun : cf. F. compl\'82ment . See Complete , v. t. , and cf. Compliment .] 1. That which fills up or completes; the quantity or number required to fill a thing or make it complete.
2. That which is required to supply a deficiency, or to complete a symmetrical whole.
History is the complement of poetry. Sir J. Stephen.
3. Full quantity, number, or amount; a complete set; completeness.
To exceed his complement and number appointed him which was one hundred and twenty persons. Hakluyt.
4. (Math.) A second quantity added to a given quantity to make equal to a third given quantity.
5. Something added for ornamentation; an accessory. [Obs.]
Without vain art or curious complements . Spenser.
6. (Naut.) The whole working force of a vessel.
7. (Mus.) The interval wanting to complete the octave; -- the fourth is the complement of the fifth, the sixth of the third.
8. A compliment. [Obs.]
Shak.
Arithmetical compliment of a logarithm . See under Logarithm . -- Arithmetical complement of a number (Math.) , the difference between that number and the next higher power of 10; as, 4 is the complement of 6, and 16 of 84. -- Complement of an arc ∨ angle (Geom.) , the difference between that arc or angle and 90°. -- Complement of a parallelogram . (Math.) See Gnomon . -- In her complement (Her.) , said of the moon when represented as full.
Complement <Xpage=290>
Com"ple*ment (?) , v. t. 1. To supply a lack; to supplement. [R.]
2. To compliment. [Obs.]
Jer. Taylor.
Complemental <Xpage=290>
Com`ple*men"tal (?) , a. 1. Supplying, or tending to supply, a deficiency; fully completing. " Complemental ceremony."
Prynne.
2. Complimentary; courteous. [Obs.]
Shak.
Complemental air (Physiol.) , the air (averaging 100 cubic inches) which can be drawn into the lungs in addition to the tidal air, by the deepest possible inspiration. -- Complemental males (Zo\'94l.) , peculiar small males living parasitically on the ordinary hermaphrodite individuals of certain barnacles.
Complementary <Xpage=290>
Com`ple*men"ta"ry (?) , a. Serving to fill out or to complete; as, complementary numbers .
Complementary colors . See under Color . -- Complementary angles (Math.) , two angles whose sum is 90\'f8.
Complementary <Xpage=290>
Com`ple*men"ta*ry , n. [See Complimentary .] One skilled in compliments. [Obs.]
B. Jonson.
Complete <Xpage=290>
Com"plete" (?) , a. [L. completus , p. p. of complere to fill. See Full , a. , and cf. Comply , Compline .] 1. Filled up; with no part or element lacking; free from deficienty; entire; perfect; consummate. " Complete perfections."
Milton.
Ye are complete in him. Col. ii. 10.
That thou, dead corse, again in complete steel Revesit'st thus the glimpses of the moon. Shak.
2. Finished; ended; concluded; completed; as, the edifice is complete .
This course of vanity almost complete . Prior.
3. (Bot.) Having all the parts or organs which belong to it or to the typical form; having calyx, corolla, stamens, and pistil.
Syn. -- See Whole .
Complete <Xpage=290>
Com*plete" , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Completed ; p. pr. & vb. n. Completing .] To bring to a state in which there is no deficiency; to perfect; to consummate; to accomplish; to fulfill; to finish; as, to complete a task, or a poem; to complete a course of education.
Bred only and completed to the taste Of lustful appetence. Milton.
And, to complete her bliss, a fool for mate. Pope.
Syn. -- To perform; execute; terminate; conclude; finish; end; fill up; achieve; realize; effect; consummate; accomplish; effectuate; fulfill; bring to pass.
Completely <Xpage=290>
Com*plete"ly , adv. In a complete manner; fully.
Completement <Xpage=290>
Com*plete"ment (?) , n. Act of completing or perfecting; completion. [Obs.]
Dryden.
Completeness <Xpage=290>
Com*plete"ness , n. The state of being complete.
Completion <Xpage=290>
Com*ple"tion (?) , n. [L. completio a filling, a fulfillment.] 1. The act or process of making complete; the getting through to the end; as, the completion of an undertaking, an education, a service .
The completion of some repairs. Prescott.
2. State of being complete; fulfillment; accomplishment; realization.
Predictions receiving their completion in Christ. South.
Completive <Xpage=290>
Com*ple"tive (?) , a. [L. completivus : cf. F. compl<?/tif .] Making complete. [R.]
J. Harris.
Completory <Xpage=290>
Com*ple"to*ry (?) , a. Serving to fulfill.
Completory of ancient presignifications. Barrow.
Completory <Xpage=290>
Com"ple*to"ry (? ∨ ?) , n. [L. completorium .] (Eccl.) Same as Compline .
Complex <Xpage=290>
Com"plex (?) , a. [L. complexus , p. p. of complecti to entwine around, comprise; com- + plectere to twist, akin to plicare to fold. See Plait , n. ] 1. Composed of two or more parts; composite; not simple; as, a complex being; a complex idea.
Ideas thus made up of several simple ones put together, I call complex ; such as beauty, gratitude, a man, an army, the universe. Locke.
2. Involving many parts; complicated; intricate.
When the actual motions of the heavens are calculated in the best possible way, the process is difficult and complex . Whewell.
Complex fraction . See Fraction . -- Complex number (Math.) , in the theory of numbers, an expression of the form a + b&root;-1 , when a and b are ordinary integers.
Syn. -- See Intricate .
Complex <Xpage=290>
Com"plex , n. [L. complexus ] Assemblage of related things; colletion; complication.
This parable of the wedding supper comprehends in it the whole complex of all the blessings and privileges exhibited by the gospel. South.
Complex of lines (Geom.) , all the possible straight lines in space being considered, the entire system of lines which satisfy a single relation constitute a complex ; as, all the lines which meet a given curve make up a complex . The lines which satisfy two relations constitute a congruency of lines; as, the entire system of lines, each one of which meets two given surfaces, is a congruency .
<page="291"> Page 291
Complexed <Xpage=291>
Com*plexed" (?) , a. Complex, complicated. [Obs.] " Complexed significations."
Sir T. Browne.
Complexedness <Xpage=291>
Com*plex"ed*ness (?) , n. The quality or state of being complex or involved; complication.
The complexedness of these moral ideas. Locke.
Complexion <Xpage=291>
Com*plex"ion (?) , n. [F. complexion , fr. L. complexio . See Complex , a.] 1. The state of being complex; complexity. [Obs.]
Though the terms of propositions may be complex, yet . . . it is proprly called a simple syllogism, since the complexion does not belong to the syllogistic form of it. I. Watts.
2. A combination; a complex. [Archaic]
This paragraph is . . . a complexion of sophisms. Coleridge.
3. The bodily constitution; the temperament; habitude, or natural disposition; character; nature. [Obs.]
If his complexion incline him to melancholy. Milton.
It is the complexion of them all to leave the dam. Shak.
4. The color or hue of the skin, esp. of the face.
Tall was her stature, her complexion dark. Wordswoorth.
Between the pale complexion of true love, And the red glow of scron and proud disdain. Shak.
5. The general appearance or aspect; as, the complexion of the sky; the complexion of the news.
Complexional <Xpage=291>
Com*plex"ion*al (?) , a. Of or pertaining to constitutional complexion.
A moral rather than a complexional timidity. Burke.
Complexionally <Xpage=291>
Com*plex"ion*al*ly , adv. Constitutionally. [R.]
Though corruptible, not complexionally vicious. Burke.
Complexionary <Xpage=291>
Com*plex"ion*a*ry (?) , a. Pertaining to the complexion, or to the care of it.
Jer. Taylor.
Complexioned <Xpage=291>
Com*plex"ioned (?) , a. Having (such) a complexion; -- used in composition; as, a dark- complexioned or a ruddy- complexioned person .
A flower is the best- complexioned grass, as a pearl is the best-colored clay. Fuller.
Complexity <Xpage=291>
Com*plex"i*ty (?) , n. ; pl. Complexities (#) . [Cf. F. complexit\'82 .] 1. The state of being complex; intricacy; entanglement.
The objects of society are of the greatest possible complexity . Burke.
2. That which is complex; intricacy; complication.
Many-corridored complexities Of Arthur's palace. Tennyson.
Complexly <Xpage=291>
Com"plex`ly (?) , adv. In a complex manner; not simply.
Complexness <Xpage=291>
Com"plex`ness , n. The state of being complex; complexity.
A. Smith.
Complexus <Xpage=291>
Com*plex"us (?) , n. [L., an embracing.] A complex; an aggregate of parts; a complication.
Compliable <Xpage=291>
Com*pli"a*ble (?) , a. Capable of bending or yielding; apt to yield; compliant.
Another compliable mind. Milton.
The Jews . . . had made their religion compliable , and accemodated to their passions. Jortin.
Compliance <Xpage=291>
Com*pli"ance (?) , n. [See Comply .] 1. The act of complying; a yielding; as to a desire, demand, or proposal; concession; submission.
What compliances will remove dissension? Swift.
Ready compliance with the wishes of his people. Macaulay.
2. A disposition to yield to others; complaisance.
A man of few words and of great compliance . Clarendon.
Syn. -- Concession; submission; consent; obedience; performance; execution; acqquiescence; assent.
Compliancy <Xpage=291>
Com*pli"an*cy (?) , n. Compliance; disposition to yield to others.
Goldsmith.
Compliant <Xpage=291>
Com*pli"ant (?) , a. Yielding; bending; pliant; submissive. "The compliant boughs."
Milton.
Compliantly <Xpage=291>
Com*pli"ant*ly , adv. In a compliant manner.
Complicacy <Xpage=291>
Com"pli*ca*cy (?) , n. A state of being complicate or intricate.
Mitford.
Complicant <Xpage=291>
Com"pli*cant (?) , a. [L. complicans , p. pr.] (Zo\'94l.) Overlapping, as the elytra of certain beetles.
Complicate <Xpage=291>
Com"pli*cate (?) , a. [L. complicatus , p. p. of complicare to fold together. See Complex .] 1. Composed of two or more parts united; complex; complicated; involved.
How poor, how rich, how abject, how august, How complicate , how wonderful is man! Young.
2. (Bot.) Folded together, or upon itself, with the fold running lengthwise.
Complicate <Xpage=291>
Com"pli*cate (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Complicated ; p. pr. & vb. n. Complicating .] To fold or twist together; to combine intricately; to make complex; to combine or associate so as to make intricate or difficult.
Nor can his complicated sinews fail. Young.
Avarice and luxury very often become one complicated principle of action. Addison.
When the disease is complicated with other diseases. Arbuthnot.
Complicately <Xpage=291>
Com"pli*cate*ly (?) , adv. In a complex manner.
Complicateness <Xpage=291>
Com"pli*cate*ness , n. Complexity.
Sir M. Hale.
Complication <Xpage=291>
Com`pli*ca"tion (?) , n. [L. compliasion : cf. F. complication .] 1. The act or process of complicating; the state of being complicated; intricate or confused relation of parts; entaglement; complexity.
A complication of diseases. Macaulay.
Through and beyond these dark complications of the present, the New England founders looked to the great necessities of future times. Palfrey.