definitions

complementizer

[ kom-pluh-muh n-tahy-zer ]
/ ˈkɒm plə mənˌtaɪ zər /

noun Linguistics.

an element or elements marking a complement clause, as that in We thought that you forgot, for … to in For you to go all the way there would be silly, or possessive …-ing in Barbara's leaving so early worried them.

Nearby words

complementary medicine, complementary strand, complementary wavelength, complementation, complemented, complementizer, complete, complete antibody, complete antigen, complete blood count, complete carcinogen

Origin of complementizer

complement + -ize + -er1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for complementizer

complementizer

/ (ˈkɒmplɪmənˌtaɪzə) /

noun

generative grammar a word or morpheme that serves to introduce a complement clause or a reduced form of such a clause, as that in I wish that he would leave
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012