complex

Noun · Adjective
Synonyms: compositecoordination compoundbuilding complex

WordNet 3.0

Noun (4)

  1. a conceptual whole made up of complicated and related parts“the complex of shopping malls, houses, and roads created a new town”Synonyms: composite
  2. a compound described in terms of the central atom to which other atoms are bound or coordinatedSynonyms: coordination compound
  3. (psychoanalysis) a combination of emotions and impulses that have been rejected from awareness but still influence a person's behavior
  4. a whole structure (as a building) made up of interconnected or related structuresSynonyms: building complex

Adjective (1)

  1. complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts“a complex set of variations based on a simple folk melody”“a complex mass of diverse laws and customs”
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Complex \Com"plex\ (k[o^]m"pl[e^]ks), a. [L. complexus, p. p. of complecti to entwine around, comprise; com- + plectere to twist, akin to plicare to fold. See Plait, n.]

1.Composed of two or more parts; composite; not simple; as, a complex being; a complex idea. [1913 Webster]

Ideas thus made up of several simple ones put together, I call complex; such as beauty, gratitude, a man, an army, the universe.— Locke.[1913 Webster]

2.Involving many parts; complicated; intricate. [1913 Webster]

When the actual motions of the heavens are calculated in the best possible way, the process is difficult and complex.— Whewell.[1913 Webster]

Complex fraction. See Fraction.

Complex number (Math.), in the theory of numbers, an expression of the form a + b[root]-1, when a and b are ordinary integers.

Syn: See Intricate. [1913 Webster]

Complex \Com"plex\, n. [L. complexus] Assemblage of related things; collection; complication. [1913 Webster]

This parable of the wedding supper comprehends in it the whole complex of all the blessings and privileges exhibited by the gospel. --South. [1913 Webster]

Complex of lines (Geom.), all the possible straight lines in space being considered, the entire system of lines which satisfy a single relation constitute a complex; as, all the lines which meet a given curve make up a complex. The lines which satisfy two relations constitute a congruency of lines; as, the entire system of lines, each one of which meets two given surfaces, is a congruency. [1913 Webster]

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