complex

adjective

1. 1

   Made up of multiple parts; composite; not simple.

   a complex being; a complex idea

   The human body is a complex system made up of many layers.

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

2. 2

   Not simple, easy, or straightforward; complicated.

   If, when the actual motions of the heavens are calculated in the best possible way, the process is complex and difficult, and if we are discontented at this, nature, and not the astronomer, must be the object of our displeasure.

3. 3

   Having the form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers and i is (by definition) the imaginary square root of −1.

   complex number

   function of a complex variable

4. 4

   Whose range is a subset of the complex numbers.

   complex function

5. 5

   Whose coefficients are complex numbers; defined over the field of complex numbers.

   complex polynomial

   complex algebraic variety

6. 6

   A curve, polygon or other figure that crosses or intersects itself.

noun

1. 1

   A network of interconnected systems.

   military–industrial complex

2. 2

   A collection of buildings with a common purpose, such as a university or military base.

   A man at the complex said he had seen the often heavily made-up girls coming and going in luxury vehicles.

3. 3

   An assemblage of related things; a collection.

   This parable of the wedding supper comprehends in it the whole complex of all the blessings and privileges exhibited by the gospel.

4. 4

   An assemblage of related things; a collection. An organized cluster of thunderstorms.

5. 5

   An assemblage of related things; a collection. A cluster of wildfires burning in the same vicinity.

   The fire complex began as two separate fires.

   As of early Wednesday, there were at least 25 major wildfires and fire complexes, the term given to multiple fires in a single geographic area, burning in California, Christine McMorrow, a Cal Fire information officer, said.

6. 6

   An assemblage of related things; a collection. A group of closely related species, often distinguished only with difficulty by traditional morphological methods.

   Since then, a good deal of research has documented and concluded that the nominal species A. fraterculus actually comprises an unresolved complex of cryptic species.

7. 7

   A group of emotionally charged ideas or mental factors, unconsciously associated by the individual with a particular subject, arising from repressed instincts, fears, or desires and often resulting in mental abnormality.

   Jim has a real complex about working for a woman boss.

8. 8

   A group of emotionally charged ideas or mental factors, unconsciously associated by the individual with a particular subject, arising from repressed instincts, fears, or desires and often resulting in mental abnormality. A fixed mental tendency or obsession.

9. 9

   A structure consisting of a central atom or molecule weakly connected to surrounding atoms or molecules, as for example coordination compounds in inorganic chemistry and protein complexes in biochemistry.

   Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis:[…]. The evolutionary precursor of photosynthesis is still under debate, and a new study sheds light. The critical component of the photosynthetic system is the “water-oxidizing complex”, made up of manganese atoms and a calcium atom.

10. 10

    A complex number.

    The interesting aspect here is that U₃ is irreducible, even though all irreps over the complexes are one-dimensional because ℤ₄ is abelian.

11. 11

    A multimorphemic word, one with several parts, one with affixes.

verb

1. 1

   To form a complex with another substance.

2. 2

   To complicate.

Forms

plural

complexes, complices

comparative

more complex, complexer

superlative

most complex, complexest

past tense

complexed

past participle

complexed

present participle

complexing

third person singular

complexes