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Today it means

complex

consisting of many parts

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Where does the word "complex" come from? It comes from Latin complexus, and was adopted directly into English (1650s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "complex" come from? It comes from Latin complexus, and was adopted directly into English (1650s).

Complex’s story begins in Latin: complexus meant “surrounding, embracing.” From 'complecti', to embrace. It reached English by 1650s as complex. 'inferiority complex' dates from the 1910s. Today, complex means consisting of many parts.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient complexus "surrounding, embracing", from 'complecti', to embrace.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1650s complex "composite", 'inferiority complex' dates from the 1910s.

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