Part 402

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.

Com*plaint"ful (?), a. Full of complaint. [Obs.]

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.

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.

Com*pla"nar (?), a. See Coplanar.

Com"pla*nate (? or &?;), a. [L. complanatus, p. p. of complanare to make plane. See Plane, v. t.] Flattened to a level surface. [R.]

Com"pla*nate (?), v. t. To make level. [R.]

Com*plect"ed (?), a. Complexioned. [Low, New Eng.]

Com"ple*ment (?), n. [L. complementun: cf. F. complÚment. 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 it 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 or 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.