com·plect·ed (k m-pl k t d)adj. Informal Marked by or having a particular facial complexion. Often used in combination: "A white-haired and ruddy-complected priest stood on the deck of one of the trawlers" (New York Times). [Back-formation from complection, variant of complexion.] Usage Note: Complected has a long history in American folk speech, showing up, for example, in 1806 in the journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition: "[The Indians] are . . . reather lighter complected . . . than the Indians of the Missouri" (Meriwether Lewis). In 1915 its reported use in west Texas extended its semantic domain beyond skin color to general appearance: "a fat-complected man." |
complected [kəmˈplɛktɪd]
adj
(in combination) a US dialect word for complexioned
Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
| ?Page tools | ||
|---|---|---|
|