complement

1. (nautical) The whole working force of a vessel.countableuncountable

2. (astronomy, geometry) An angle which, together with a given angle, makes a right angle.countableuncountable

3. (grammar, linguistics) 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.Examples: "Why has our grammar broken down at this point? It is not difficult to see why. For, we have failed to make any provision for the fact that only some Verbs in English (i.e. Verbs like those italicized in (5) (a), traditionally called Transitive Verbs) subcategorize ( = ‘takeʼ) an immediately following NP Complement, whereas others (such as those italicised in (5) (b), traditionally referred to as Intransitive Verbs) do not."countableuncountable

4. (palaeography, phonetics) 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).countableuncountable

5. (music) An interval which, together with the given interval, makes an octave.countableuncountable

6. (optics) The color which, when mixed with the given color, gives black (for mixing pigments) or white (for mixing light).Examples: "The complement of blue is orange."countableuncountable