Complement and Background

noun

• A word or phrase used to complete a grammatical construction.
• A complete number or quantity.
  • usage: "a full complement"
• Number needed to make up a whole force.
  • usage: "a full complement of workers"
  • synonyms: full complement
• Something added to complete or embellish or make perfect.
  • usage: "a fine wine is a perfect complement to the dinner"; "wild rice was served as an accompaniment to the main dish"
  • synonyms: accompaniment
• One of a series of enzymes in the blood serum that are part of the immune response.
• Either of two parts that mutually complete each other.

verb

• Make complete or perfect; supply what is wanting or form the complement to.
  • usage: "I need some pepper to complement the sweet touch in the soup"

• (v.t.) To supply a lack; to supplement.
• (v.t.) The whole working force of a vessel.
• (v.t.) Something added for ornamentation; an accessory.
• (v.t.) To compliment.
• (v.t.) A second quantity added to a given quantity to make it equal to a third given quantity.
• (v.t.) A compliment.
• (v.t.) Full quantity, number or amount; a complete set; completeness.
• (v.t.) The interval wanting to complete the octave; -- the fourth is the complement of the fifth, the sixth of the third.
• (v.t.) That which fills up or completes; the quantity or number required to fill a thing or make it complete.
• (v.t.) That which is required to supply a deficiency or to complete a symmetrical whole.

noun

• A person's social heritage: previous experience or training.
  • usage: "he is a lawyer with a sports background"
• The part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground.
  • usage: "he posed her against a background of rolling hills"
  • synonyms: ground
• Information that is essential to understanding a situation or problem.
  • usage: "the embassy filled him in on the background of the incident"
  • synonyms: background knowledge
• Extraneous signals that can be confused with the phenomenon to be observed or measured.
  • usage: "they got a bad connection and could hardly hear one another over the background signals"
  • synonyms: background signal
• Relatively unimportant or inconspicuous accompanying situation.
  • usage: "when the rain came he could hear the sound of thunder in the background"
• The state of the environment in which a situation exists.
  • usage: "you can't do that in a university setting"
  • synonyms: setting, scope
• Computer science. ( the area of the screen in graphical user interfaces against which icons and windows appear)
  • synonyms: desktop, screen background
• Scenery hung at back of stage.
  • synonyms: backdrop, backcloth

verb

• Understate the importance or quality of.
  • usage: "he played down his royal ancestry"
  • synonyms: play down, downplay

• (n.) Ground in the rear or behind or in the distance, as opposed to the foreground or the ground in front.
• (n.) A place in obscurity or retirement or out of sight.
• (n.) The space which is behind and subordinate to a portrait or group of figures.
• (n.) Anything behind, serving as a foil; as, the statue had a background of red hangings.