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supplement

[noun suhp-luh-muh nt; verb suhp-luh-ment]
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noun
  1. something added to complete a thing, supply a deficiency, or reinforce or extend a whole.
  2. a part added to a book, document, etc., to supply additional or later information, correct errors, or the like.
  3. a part, usually of special character, issued as an additional feature of a newspaper or other periodical.
  4. Geometry. the quantity by which an angle or an arc falls short of 180° or a semicircle.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to complete, add to, or extend by a supplement.
  2. to form a supplement or addition to.
  3. to supply (a deficiency).
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Origin of supplement

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin supplēmentum that by which anything is made full, equivalent to sup- sup- + plē- (stem of plēre to fill; see full1) + -mentum -ment
Related formssup·ple·ment·er, nounun·sup·ple·ment·ed, adjectivewell-sup·ple·ment·ed, adjective
Can be confusedappendix index supplement (see synonym study at appendix)complement supplement (see synonym study at complement)

Synonyms

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2. addendum, epilogue, postscript. See appendix. 5. See complement.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for supplementing

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • "Too slowly, since swords and pikes have to be supplementing its blade," said Gilbert.

    The Countess of Charny

    Alexandre Dumas (pere)

  • Two passages from his diary, the second supplementing the first, supply the picture.

    Lausanne

    Francis Henry Gribble

  • I shall only be supplementing what you told in your letters, Laura.

    Three Comedies

    Bjrnstjerne M. Bjrnson

  • Miss Ellsling, on the stage, seemed to be supplementing this remark.

    Harlequin and Columbine

    Booth Tarkington

  • The other boy joined in at intervals, supplementing my remarks.

    Across the Prairie in a Motor Caravan

    Frances Halton Eva Hasell

British Dictionary definitions for supplementing

supplement

noun (ˈsʌplɪmənt)
  1. an addition designed to complete, make up for a deficiency, etc
  2. a section appended to a publication to supply further information, correct errors, etc
  3. a magazine or section inserted into a newspaper or periodical, such as one with colour photographs issued every week
  4. geometry
    1. either of a pair of angles whose sum is 180°
    2. an arc of a circle that when added to another arc forms a semicircleAbbreviation: sup, supp
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verb (ˈsʌplɪˌmɛnt)
  1. (tr) to provide a supplement to, esp in order to remedy a deficiency
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Derived Formssupplementation, nounsupplementer, noun

Word Origin

C14: from Latin supplēmentum, from supplēre to supply 1
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

Word Origin and History for supplementing

supplement

n.

late 14c., from Latin supplementum "something added to supply a deficiency," from supplere (see supply (v.)).

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supplement

v.

1829, from supplement (n.). Related: Supplemented; supplementing.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper