different between compliment vs complaisant

English

Etymology

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”). Doublet of complement.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?k?mpl?m?nt/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?k?mpl?m?nt/
• Homophone: complement

Noun

compliment (plural compliments)

1. An expression of praise, congratulation, or respect.
   • c. 1610, William Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale, Act I, Scene 2,^[1]

     […] I met him

     With customary compliment; when he,

     Wafting his eyes to the contrary and falling

     A lip of much contempt, speeds from me and

     So leaves me to consider what is breeding

     That changeth thus his manners.

   • 1671, John Milton, Paradise Regained, London: T. Longman et al., 1796, Book 4, p. 65,^[2]

     [...] what honour that,

     but tedious waste of time, to sit and hear

     So many hollow compliments and lies,

     Outlandish flatteries?

   • 1782, William Cowper, “Table Talk” in Poems, London: J. Johnson, p. 37,^[3]

     Virtue indeed meets many a rhiming friend,

     And many a compliment politely penn’d,

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, London, p. 25,^[4]

     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 […]
3. Misspelling of complement.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:praise

Antonyms

• insult

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

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

1. (transitive, intransitive) To pay a compliment (to); to express a favorable opinion (of).
   • 1709, Matthew Prior, Pleasure

     Monarchs should their inward soul disguise; […] / Should compliment their foes and shun their friends.

2. Misspelling of complement.

Antonyms

• insult

Translations

See also

• complement

Catalan

Etymology

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

Noun

compliment m (plural compliments)

1. compliment

Dutch

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k?m.pli?m?nt/
• Hyphenation: com?pli?ment
• Rhymes: -?nt

Noun

compliment n (plural complimenten, diminutive complimentje n)

1. compliment

Derived terms

• complimenteus

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian complimento, itself a borrowing from Spanish cumplimiento, from Latin compl?mentum. Doublet of complément.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k??.pli.m??/

Noun

compliment m (plural compliments)

1. compliment (positive comment)

Derived terms

• complimenter

References

• “compliment” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Romanian

Etymology

From French compliment

Noun

compliment n (plural complimente)

1. compliment

Declension

English

Etymology

From French complaisant (“willing to please”), from complaire, from Latin complac?re, present active infinitive of complace? (“please well”), from com- (“with”) + place? (“please”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /k?m?ple?s?nt/
• Homophone: complacent
• (US) IPA^(key): /k?m?ple?s?nt/, /k?m?ple?z?nt/

Adjective

complaisant (comparative more complaisant, superlative most complaisant)

1. Compliant.
2. Willing to do what pleases others; obliging.
3. (archaic) Polite; showing respect.

Usage notes

• Complaisant should not be confused with its homophone, complacent.

Derived terms

• complaisantly

Related terms

• complaisance

Translations

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k??.pl?.z??/

Verb

complaisant

1. present participle of complaire

Adjective

complaisant (feminine singular complaisante, masculine plural complaisants, feminine plural complaisantes)

1. complaisant, obliging, eager to please

Derived terms

• mari complaisant

Further reading

• “complaisant” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).