Wiktionary

complicate

English

edit

Etymology

edit

Borrowed from Latin complicatus, past participle of complicare (“to fold together”), from com- (“together”) + plicare (“to fold, weave, knit”); see plaid, and compare complex.

Pronunciation

edit

Verb

edit

complicate (third-person singular simple present complicates, present participle complicating, simple past and past participle complicated)

  1. (transitive) To make complex; to modify so as to make something intricate or difficult.
    • 1896, Arthur Edward Waite, “Chapter 14”, in Devil-Worship in France, or the Question of Lucifer:
      Let us, however, put aside for the moment the mendacities and forgeries which complicate the question of Lucifer, and let us approach Palladism from an altogether different side.
  2. (transitive) To involve in a convoluted matter.
    Don't complicate yourself in issues that are beyond the scope of your understanding.
    John has been complicated in the affair by new tapes that surfaced.
    The DA has made every effort to complicate me in the scandal.

Synonyms

edit

Derived terms

edit
edit

Translations

edit

See also

edit

Adjective

edit

complicate (comparative more complicate, superlative most complicate)

  1. (obsolete) Intertwined.
  2. (now rare, poetic) Complex, complicated.
    • 1745, Edward Young, Night-Thoughts, section I:
      How poor, how rich, how abject, how august, / How complicate, how wonderful, is Man!

Derived terms

edit

Further reading

edit

Italian

edit

Etymology 1

edit

Adjective

edit

complicate

  1. feminine plural of complicato

Participle

edit

complicate f pl

  1. feminine plural of complicato

Etymology 2

edit

Verb

edit

complicate

  1. inflection of complicare:
    1. second-person plural present indicative
    2. second-person plural imperative

Latin

edit

Verb

edit

complicāte

  1. second-person plural present active imperative of complicō

Spanish

edit

Verb

edit

complicate

  1. second-person singular voseo imperative of complicar combined with te
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=complicate&oldid=80968770"