[ad. L. complicāt-us, pa. pple. of complicāre to fold together (see next).]
A. adj. † 1. Interwoven. Obs. or arch.
1624. Bacon, War with Spain, Wks. 1874, VIII. 473. The particular actions of war, though they are complicate in fact, yet they are separate and distinct in right.
1844. Ld. Houghton, Mem. Many Scenes, 194. Who weaves the complicate historic woof Out of the rough disorder of mankind.
2. Composed of parts or elements intimately combined or mixed; compound, complex. Now arch. or poet.
1638. T. Whitaker, Blood of Grape, 28. To grant in its temper a complicate mixture, or comprehensive nature.
1658. Baxter, Saving Faith, 77. Affiance … is a complicate Act of the Intellect and Will.
1671. Salmon, Syn. Med., I. xxxvii. 79. Diseases are various … sometimes simple, and sometimes complicate.
a. 1711. Ken, Psyche, Poet. Wks. 1721, IV. 219. In complicate Disease, Give complicated Ease.
1775–84. De Lolme, Eng. Const., Advt. 16. The powerful complicate sensation which each sex produces on the other.
1829. Southey, O. Newman, vii. A complicate and wonderful machine.
b. with the additional notion of Intricate, involved, difficult to analyse or unravel.
1672. Petty, Pol. Anat., Pref. I have chosen Ireland … where the Intrigue of State is not very complicate.
1819. Crabbe, T. Hall, XVII. He felt a loathing for the wretched state of his concerns, so sad, so complicate.
1836–7. Sir W. Hamilton, Metaph., (1877), I. xiv. 256. The most difficult and complicate demonstrations.
3. a. Bot. = CONDUPLICATE. b. Entomol. Folded on themselves longitudinally, as the wings of many insects.
1866. Treas. Bot., Complicate, folded up upon itself.
B. sb.
† 1. A complicated or complex structure; a combination. Obs.
1664. H. More, Myst. Iniq., I. vii. 22. The worshipping of an Image, or the Complicate of an Image and a Dæmon actuating it, for a Deity.
1697. Wallis, in Phil. Trans., XIX. 653. Whether in … the Duplicate, Sub-duplicate, or how otherwise Complicate thereof.
† 2. One complicated or mixed up with the affairs of another; an accomplice. Obs.
1662. R. L’Estrange, Memento, I. 105. Observe likewise the Temper, and Quality of his Complicates and Creatures.
