supplementary
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
nonsupplementaryadjective
-
presupplementaryadjective
-
unsupplementaryadjective
-
supplementarilyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of supplementary
First recorded in 1660–70; supplement + -ary
Explanation
Supplementary is a little something extra to fill in a gap, like when your teacher suggests supplementary reading material that you may or may not get around to checking out. Supplementary can be an important part of something or just extra support. The word supplement comes from the Latin supplementum for "something added to fix a deficiency" and the suffix -ary means "connected with." Put them together and you have something connected with filling in. The supplementary support of digging a moat around your sand castle might save it from a wave, but that supplementary reading on your syllabus isn't required (although it might save your grade).
Vocabulary lists containing supplementary
The Giver
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 6
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The New SAT: The Language of the Test
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I absolutely feel comfortable in the decision that I supported and the committee took in August to supply monetary policy stimulus.”
From New York Times • Sep. 15, 2016
Adopting the U.S. dollar as your own currency, as Ecuador has also done, not only raises questions about money supply, monetary policy and national sovereignty.
From Reuters • Jan. 8, 2015
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
