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complementary distribution

noun Linguistics.

a relation such that the members of a pair or set of phones, morphs, or other linguistic units have no environment in common, as aspirated “p” and unaspirated “p” in English, the first occurring only in positions where the second does not.

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To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
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Also called complementation.
Compare free variation.

Origin of complementary distribution

First recorded in 1930–35

Words nearby complementary distribution

complementary angles, complementary base, complementary cells, complementary color, complementary colour, complementary distribution, complementary DNA, complementary gene, complementary hypertrophy, complementary medicine, complementary strand
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020