compliment

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English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Borrowed from French compliment, itself a borrowing of Italian complimento, which in turn is a borrowing from Spanish cumplimiento, from cumplir (to comply, complete, do what is proper) + -miento or Latin complēmentum. Doublet of complement. Displaced Old English ġeswǣsnes.

Noun

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compliment (plural compliments)

  1. An expression of praise, congratulation, or respect.
    pay someone a compliment
  2. (uncountable) Complimentary language; courtesy, flattery.
    • 1743, Robert Drury, The Pleasant, and Surprizing Adventures of Mr. Robert Drury, during his Fifteen Years Captivity on the Island of Madagascar[2], London, page 25:
      He told the Captain, He was heartily sorry for his Misfortunes; tho’ in my Opinion that was nothing but a Compliment: For, as I found afterwards, he was more brutish, and dishonest, than most of the other Kings on the Island []
    • 1871, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter III, in Middlemarch [], volume I, Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book I, page 48:
      This accomplished man condescended to think of a young girl, and take the pains to talk to her, not with absurd compliment, but with an appeal to her understanding, and sometimes with instructive correction.
  3. Misspelling of complement.
Synonyms
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Antonyms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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Etymology 2

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Borrowed from French complimenter, from compliment + -er (verb-forming suffix).[1]

Verb

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compliment (third-person singular simple present compliments, present participle complimenting, simple past and past participle complimented)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To pay a compliment (to someone); to express a favourable opinion (of someone).
    Antonym: insult
    • 1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Solomon on the Vanity of the World. A Poem in Three Books.”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: [] Jacob Tonson [], and John Barber [], →OCLC, book II (Pleasure), page 457:
      [] She transferr'd the curs'd Advice, / That Monarchs ſhould their inward Soul diſguise, / Diſſemble, and command; be falſe, and wiſe; / By ignominous Arts for ſervile Ends / Should compliment their Foes, and ſhun their Friends.
  2. Misspelling of complement.
Derived terms
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Translations
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See also

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References

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  1. ^ compliment, v.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

Catalan

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Etymology

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From complir. Cf. also Spanish cumplimiento, Latin complementum.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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compliment m (plural compliments)

  1. compliment

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Dutch

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

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Borrowed from French compliment, from Italian complimento, from Old Spanish cumplimiento.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˌkɔm.pliˈmɛnt/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: com‧pli‧ment
  • Rhymes: -ɛnt

Noun

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compliment n (plural complimenten, diminutive complimentje n)

  1. compliment

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Papiamentu: kòmplimènt

French

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Italian complimento, itself a borrowing from Spanish cumplimiento, from Latin complēmentum. Doublet of complément.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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compliment m (plural compliments)

  1. compliment (positive comment)

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French compliment.

Noun

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compliment n (plural complimente)

  1. compliment

Declension

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