Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The natural color, texture, and appearance of the skin, especially of the face.
  • noun General character, aspect, or appearance.
  • noun A viewpoint, inclination, or attitude.
  • noun The combination of the four humors of cold, heat, moistness, and dryness in specific proportions, thought in ancient and medieval physiology to control the temperament and the constitution of the body.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In psychology, a term proposed for a certain type of mental connection or association. See the extract.
  • noun Temperament, habitude, or natural disposition of the body or mind; constitutional condition or tendency; character; nature.
  • noun The color or hue of the skin, particularly of that of the face.
  • noun The general appearance of anything; aspect.
  • noun The state of being complex; complexity; involution; combination; also, a complex.
  • To characterize by or endow with a disposition or temperament.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete The state of being complex; complexity.
  • noun Archaic A combination; a complex.
  • noun obsolete The bodily constitution; the temperament; habitude, or natural disposition; character; nature.
  • noun The color or hue of the skin, esp. of the face.
  • noun The general appearance or aspect.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun obsolete, medicine The combination of humours making up one's physiological "temperament", being either hot or cold, and moist or dry.
  • noun The quality, colour, or appearance of the skin on the face.
  • noun figuratively The outward appearance of something.
  • noun Outlook, attitude, or point of view.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb give a certain color to
  • noun texture and appearance of the skin of the face
  • noun (obsolete) a combination of elements (of dryness and warmth or of the four humors) that was once believed to determine a person's health and temperament
  • noun a point of view or general attitude or inclination
  • noun a combination that results from coupling or interlinking
  • noun the coloring of a person's face

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English complexioun, physical constitution, from Old French complexion, from Late Latin complexiō, complexiōn-, balance of the humors, from Latin, combination, from complexus, past participle of complectī, to entwine; see complect.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English complexion ("temperament"), from Old French complexion, French complexion, from Latin complexio ("a combination, connection, period"), from complecti, past participle complexus ("to entwine, encompass")

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word complexion.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.