COMPLEMENT

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does complement mean? 

• COMPLEMENT (noun)
  The noun COMPLEMENT has 6 senses:

1. a word or phrase used to complete a grammatical construction

2. a complete number or quantity

3. number needed to make up a whole force

4. something added to complete or embellish or make perfect

5. one of a series of enzymes in the blood serum that are part of the immune response

6. either of two parts that mutually complete each other

  Familiarity information: COMPLEMENT used as a noun is common.

• COMPLEMENT (verb)
  The verb COMPLEMENT has 1 sense:

1. make complete or perfect; supply what is wanting or form the complement to

  Familiarity information: COMPLEMENT used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COMPLEMENT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A word or phrase used to complete a grammatical construction

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("complement" is a kind of...):

construction; expression; grammatical construction (a group of words that form a constituent of a sentence and are considered as a single unit)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A complete number or quantity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Context example:

a full complement

Hypernyms ("complement" is a kind of...):

count (the total number counted)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Number needed to make up a whole force

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

complement; full complement

Context example:

a full complement of workers

Hypernyms ("complement" is a kind of...):

hands; manpower; men; work force; workforce (the force of workers available)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "complement"):

company; ship's company (crew of a ship including the officers; the whole force or personnel of a ship)

Derivation:

complemental (acting as or providing a complement (something that completes the whole))

Sense 4

Meaning:

Something added to complete or embellish or make perfect

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

accompaniment; complement

Context example:

wild rice was served as an accompaniment to the main dish

Hypernyms ("complement" is a kind of...):

adjunct (something added to another thing but not an essential part of it)

Derivation:

complement (make complete or perfect; supply what is wanting or form the complement to)

complemental; complementary (acting as or providing a complement (something that completes the whole))

Sense 5

Meaning:

One of a series of enzymes in the blood serum that are part of the immune response

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("complement" is a kind of...):

enzyme (any of several complex proteins that are produced by cells and act as catalysts in specific biochemical reactions)

Holonyms ("complement" is a part of...):

immune reaction; immune response; immunologic response (a bodily defense reaction that recognizes an invading substance (an antigen: such as a virus or fungus or bacteria or transplanted organ) and produces antibodies specific against that antigen)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Either of two parts that mutually complete each other

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("complement" is a kind of...):

counterpart; opposite number; vis-a-vis (a person or thing having the same function or characteristics as another)

Derivation:

complemental (acting as or providing a complement (something that completes the whole))

• COMPLEMENT (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they complement    ... he / she / it complements   
Past simple: complemented   
Past participle: complemented   
-ing form: complementing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make complete or perfect; supply what is wanting or form the complement to

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

I need some pepper to complement the sweet touch in the soup

Hypernyms (to "complement" is one way to...):

balance; equilibrate; equilibrise; equilibrize (bring into balance or equilibrium)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

complement (something added to complete or embellish or make perfect)

 Context examples 

Nephrotic syndrome caused by glomerulonephritis associated with complement deficiency.

(Nephrotic Syndrome with Lesion of Hypocomplementemic Glomerulonephritis, NCI Thesaurus)

The occurrence of one or more extra or missing chromosomes leading to an unbalanced chromosome complement, or any chromosome number that is not an exact multiple of the haploid number (which is 46).

(Aneuploidy, NCI Dictionary)

Anti-CD19 monoclonal antibody DI-B4 binds to CD19, which may result in a strong antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) directed at CD19-expressing B-cells but with minimal complement dependent cytotoxicity.

(Anti-CD19 Monoclonal Antibody DI-B4, NCI Thesaurus)

Active C3b binds to the cell surface, particularly to complement activators like cell wall components and lipopolysaccharide.

(Alternative Complement Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

CD11b binding to a complement component and CD16 binding to IgG Fc contribute to phagocytosis.

(Neutrophil Surface Molecule Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

This may result in the induction of a B cell-directed complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) against CD20-expressing B cells leading to B cell apoptosis.

(Anti-CD20 Monoclonal Antibody PRO131921, NCI Thesaurus)

A single stranded RNA virus where the RNA strand is the complement of a mRNA.

(Negative Sense ssRNA Virus, NCI Thesaurus)

This gene plays a role in the classical complement pathway.

(C1QA Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

Mutation of the gene is associated with complement component C1q deficiency.

(C1QA wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

Pathogenesis is not well understood, but some types are thought to involve the immune system, with the complement system, in particular, being implicated.

(Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)