comply

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*pleh₁-“to fill”
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*ḱóm“beside, near; by, with”
3. Latin · derived fromcomplēre
4. Old French · derived fromcompli
5. Spanish · derived fromcumplir“to complete, fulfil”
6. Catalan · derived fromcomplir“to complete, fulfil; to carry out”
7. Italian · derived fromcomplire
8. English todaycomply

From Italian complire, Catalan complir (“to complete, fulfil; to carry out”), Spanish cumplir (“to complete, fulfil”), (alternatively from Old French compli), from Latin complēre, from compleō (“to finish, complete; to fulfil”), from com- (prefix indicating completeness of an act) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“beside, near; by, with”)) + pleō (“to fill; to fulfil”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- (“to fill”)). The word is very close to the French verb complaire which means to satisfy or to please. The word is also cognate with Old French complir (“to accomplish, complete; to do”) (modern French accomplir (“to accomplish, achieve”)). Compare complete, compliment.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from late 16th c. To accomplish, to fulfil.