Comments on: Compliment vs Complement

By: Teresa

Teresa — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 16:52:30 +0000

To the person calling themselves, “This Site Sucks,” Wiktionary says “complir is from the Latin root *complire < complēre, present active infinitive of compleō." Someone made a typo and put 'u' where an 'o' should have been. Get over yourself. It's been two years now, so my guess would be you won't see this comment. Too bad.

By: Mat

Mat — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 14:52:34 +0000

Thank you very much! I really found the article and the comments are very helpful. I’ve got the answer for the irregular use of “compliment”.

By: Cfoster

Cfoster — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:53:50 +0000

Thanks for addressing the “compliment” vs. “complement” issue. As an economics teacher, I run into this a lot. I like the mnemonic that complement means to complete. In Economics, cars and gas are considered complementary because a car is not complete without gas and vice versa.

By: Tom Kennar

Tom Kennar — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 17:05:55 +0000

To Don St Clair: Heh heh! I’m amused by your comment that ‘colour’ and ‘judgement’ are ‘old spellings’. For British people (like me) they are simply correct spellings! As a nation we have steadfastly resisted the descent into simplicity of spelling undertaken by our American cousins! We still wish each other Good Night, not ‘Good Nite’.

One of my favourite (not favorite) pastimes is to criticise (not criticize) the way that Americans have been manoeuvred (not maneuvered) into using English. I also take some (perhaps small-minded) delight in pointing out where English came from! Oh well – you say pajamas and and I say pyjamas. Good Nite!

By: Don St. Clair

Don St. Clair — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:08:28 +0000

Complementary colour(lovely “old English spelling and nice to see used) has two meanings in art.

1. To blend or go with another colour or colours.

2. Actually means “opposite” or “directly across from” on the colour wheel. It is used in “old master” paintings as opposite transparent colour (one over the other) giving a visual “glow” or with flat “side by side” fields of colour to create a line that vibrates.

It also seem to me that a colour may “compliment,” enhance or “give praise” with its new presence by sacrifice of itself for the greater good.

I believe the intent is variable and in some cases intended as artist’s license.

As an amusement, the extreme authority of “spell check” always thinks that “colour” is misspelled along with judgement and some other old spellings.