Definitions

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

  • noun Something added to complete a thing, make up for a deficiency, or extend or strengthen the whole.
  • noun A section added to a book or document to give further information or to correct errors.
  • noun A separate section devoted to a special subject inserted into a periodical, such as a newspaper.
  • transitive verb To provide or form a supplement to.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An addition to anything, by which it is made more full and complete; particularly, an addition to a book or paper.
  • noun Store; supply.
  • noun In trigonometry, the quantity by which an angle or an arc falls short of 180° or a semicircle.
  • noun Synonyms Appendix, Supplement. An appendix contains additional matter, not essential to the completeness of the principal work, but related to it; a supplement contains additional material, completing or improving the principal work.
  • To fill up or supply by additions; add something to, as to a writing, etc.; make up deficiencies in.
  • noun In algebra, the supplement of any multiplicative combination Em of the reference elements e1, e2 … en and of the m th order is that multiplicative combination En–m of the (n–m)th order which contains those reference elements omitted from Em multiplied in such succession that (EmEn–m) = 1. The supplement of Em is denoted by | Em.

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

  • transitive verb To fill up or supply by addition; to add something to.
  • noun obsolete That which supplies a deficiency, or meets a want; a store; a supply.
  • noun That which fills up, completes, or makes an addition to, something already organized, arranged, or set apart; specifically, a part added to, or issued as a continuation of, a book or paper, to make good its deficiencies or correct its errors.
  • noun (Trig.) The number of degrees which, if added to a specified arc, make it 180°; the quantity by which an arc or an angle falls short of 180 degrees, or an arc falls short of a semicircle.

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

  • noun Something added, especially to make up for a deficiency.
  • noun An extension to a document or publication that adds information, corrects errors or brings up to date.
  • noun An additional section of a newspaper devoted to a specific subject.
  • noun geometry An angle that, when added to a given angle, makes 180°; a supplementary angle.
  • noun nutrition, bodybuilding : A vitamin, herbal extract, or chemical compound included with a diet to enhance muscular development.
  • verb To provide or make a supplement to something.

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

  • verb add to the very end
  • verb serve as a supplement to
  • noun a quantity added (e.g. to make up for a deficiency)
  • verb add as a supplement to what seems insufficient
  • noun textual matter that is added onto a publication; usually at the end
  • noun a supplementary component that improves capability

Etymologies

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

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin supplēmentum, from supplēre, to complete; see supply.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin supplementum ("that which is added to supply a shortage"), from supplere ("to provide something").

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Examples

  • At the same time, most studies agree that we don't get enough vitamins from our diets, so a good multivitamin supplement is advised.

    Vitamins 2005

  • The word "supplement" in v5 is the Greek word επιχορηγησατε, which describes one who gives lavishly and generously.

    Possessing the Treasure 2009

  • They buy a supplement from the private market for the balance.

    Math check (Jack Bog's Blog) 2009

  • Another bottle had contained a vitamin supplement called Super-Vit.

    Too much to post, not enough time Not a sheep 2009

  • Garden of Life Inc. is recalling name protein supplement bars.

    Archive 2009-12-01 admin 2009

  • Rather than pinning all of our hopes on natural gas, it should be approached as a short-term supplement to oil amid the transition to lasting renewable energy sources.

    Steve Hallett and John Wright: Time Got It Wrong: Natural Gas Is No Panacea for Our Energy Crisis Steve Hallett 2011

  • So corn as a nutrional supplement is not only wasted money from you, but it is also wasted on the deer except in harsh winter conditions where it may save their lives, but that is a whole other data set.

    Do Feeders Grow Big Racks? 2009

  • The editor of the Times books supplement is obviously a reader of Petrona, because in the "hot type" industry column this week are two stories you read here first: the woman who was rude about bloggers as book reviewers while her publicist was asking them to review her latest book; and the Harry Potter bookshelf poetry competition.

    Miscellaneous Maxine 2009

  • So corn as a nutrional supplement is not only wasted money from you, but it is also wasted on the deer except in harsh winter conditions where it may save their lives, but that is a whole other data set.

    Do Feeders Grow Big Racks? 2009

  • But anyone who studies preterm birth knows its multifactorial and there will be no magic bullet that is as simple to administer as a vitamin supplement (same with autism and c-section, for that matter).

    Vitamin D Deficiency and Bacterial Vaginosis - Causality or Guilt by Association? aka TBTAM 2009

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