OTHER WORDS FOR complex
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of complex
First recorded in 1645–55; 1905–10 for def. 7; adjective from Latin complexus, past participle of complectī, complectere “to embrace, encompass, include,” equivalent to complect- (see complect) + -tus past participle suffix; noun from Late Latin complexus “totality, complex” (Latin: “inclusion, grasping, embrace”), equivalent to complect(ere) + -tus suffix of verb action; reanalysis of the Latin verb as “to intertwine (completely)” influenced sense of the adjective
OTHER WORDS FROM complex
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use complex in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for complex
complex
/ (ˈkɒmplɛks) /
adjective
noun
Derived forms of complex
complexly, adverbcomplexness, nounWord Origin for complex
C17: from Latin complexus, from complectī to entwine, from com- together + plectere to braid
usage for complex
Complex is sometimes wrongly used where complicated is meant. Complex is properly used to say only that something consists of several parts. It should not be used to say that, because something consists of many parts, it is difficult to understand or analyse
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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