Main Entry: com·ple·men·ta·ry

Pronunciation: \ˌkäm-plə-ˈmen-t(ə-)rē\

Function: adjective

Date: 1829

1 : relating to or constituting one of a pair of contrasting colors that produce a neutral color when combined in suitable proportions
2 : serving to fill out or complete
3 : mutually supplying each other's lack
4 : being complements of each other <complementary acute angles>
5 : characterized by the capacity for precise pairing of purine and pyrimidine bases between strands of DNA and sometimes RNA such that the structure of one strand determines the other

— com·ple·men·ta·ri·ly \-ˈmen-t(ə-)rə-lē, -(ˌ)men-ˈter-ə-lē, -ˈta-rə-\ adverb

— com·ple·men·ta·ri·ness \-ˈmen-t(ə-)rē-nəs\ noun

— complementary noun