Also 5–7 supplyment, 6 suplement, 6–7 suppliment. [ad. L. supplāmentum, f. supplāre SUPPLY v.1 Cf. F. supplément (from 16th c., superseding OF. supploiement, suppleement, suppliement), It. supplemento, Sp. suplemento, Pg. supplemento.
In sense 4 used as a noun of action to supple, SUPPLY v.1; cf. SUPPLYMENT.]
1. Something added to supply a deficiency; an addition to anything by which its defects are supplied; an auxiliary means, an aid; occas. of a person. (Now rare in general sense.)
1382. Wyclif, Mark ii. 21. No man seweth a pacche [Vulg. assumentum] of rude [gloss or newe] clothe to an old clothe, ellis he takith awey the newe supplement [gloss or pacche; Vulg. supplementum], and a more brekynge is maad.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., VIII. xxi. (Bodl. MS.), lf. 85 b/2. But þeiȝe sterres haue liȝte of here owne. Ȝitte to perfectioun of here liȝt þei fongeth supplemente [1495 supplyment; orig. complementum] and help of þe sonne.
1544. St. Papers Hen. VIII., I. 764. The Lord Chauncelour … shall … admit and swere … Mr. Cox to be his Aulmoner,… and Mr. Cheke as a suppliment to Mr. Cox.
1594. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., III. viii. § 10. Vnto the word of God … we do not add reason as a supplement of any maime or defect therin.
1628. Feltham, Resolves, II. [I.] xxxvii. 114. Minerva cur’d Vlysses of his wrinkles and baldnesse; not that she tooke them away by supplements.
1664. H. More, Myst. Iniq., 94. God would have afterwards raised other persons of Apostolical purity … to have made a Supplement to the former.
1698. Fryer, Acc. E. India & P., 250. Fording the River without such a Suppliment [as a bridge].
1728. Young, Love Fame, I. 12. Instructive Satire,… Thou shining supplement of public laws!
1856. J. Richardson, Recoll., I. vi. 142. As supplements to this bowl, small cups, brimming with milk punch were placed upon the table.
1861. Paley, Æschylus (ed. 2), Supplices, 154, note. Hermann’s supplement σᾶς completes the anapaestic verse.
1884. Pember, Earth’s Earliest Ages, 67. How wonderful a supplement may, in the World to Come, be added to our present scanty information.
b. A part added to complete a literary work or any written account or document; spec. a part of a periodical publication issued as an addition to the regular numbers and containing some special item or items.
1568. Grafton, Chron., I. 3. As Iames Philip of Bergamo sayth, in the suppliment of his Chronicles.
1576. Fleming, trans. Caius’ Dogs (1880), 44. The winding vp of this worke, called the Supplement.
1650. Row (title), A Supplement of the Historie of the Kirk of Scotland.
1683. Wood, Life (O.H.S.), III. 35. He died Sunday 21 Jan. (20 Jan., saith the suppliment to his will).
1696. Ray, in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden), 202. To speed the finishing and fitting my Supplement for the Presse.
1779. Johnson, L. P., Cowley (1800), I. 17. His work, to which my narration can be considered only as a slender supplement.
1863. Lyell, Antiq. Man, i. 5. Treated of in my ‘Elements or Manual of Elementary Geology,’ and in the Supplement to the fifth edition of the same.
1868. Freeman, Norm. Conq., II. App. 577. I accept his account … as a supplement, to the account in the Chronicles.
1887. (Nov. 5) Special Literary Supplement to The Spectator.
c. Math. (a) † Supplements of a parallelogram = complements of a parallelogram (COMPLEMENT sb. 5 b). Obs. (b) Supplement of an arc or angle, the amount by which an arc is less than a semicircle, or an angle less than two right angles; also attrib., as supplement-chord. (c) An additional term introduced in certain cases in an equation or expression (abbreviated Supp.).
1570. Billingsley, Euclid, I. Theorem xxxii. 53. In euery parallelograme, the supplementes of those parallelogrammes which are about the diameter, are equall the one to the other. Ibid., Prop. xliii. 53 b. Supplementes or Complementes are those figures which with the two parallelogrammes accomplish the whole parallelogramme.
1704. J. Harris, Lex. Techn., I. Supplement of an Ark, in Geometry or Trigonometry.
1747. T. Simpson, Elem. Plane Geom., 138. If the Measure of the Supplement-chord of any Arch be increased by the Number 2, the Square-root of the Sum will be the Supplement-chord of half that Arch.
1801. Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3), Suppl. II. 630/2. The supplement of 50° is 130°; as the complement of it is 40°.
1842. Gwilt, Archit., § 1038. ADE being a semicircle, BDE is the supplement of the arc AB, which arc, reciprocally, is the supplement of BDE.
1861. Ferrers, Trilinear Co-ordinates, vi. 112. The angle between the asymptotes of the reciprocal hyperbola will be the supplement of that between the tangents.
1868. Cayley, Math. Papers (1893), VI. 263. I introduce into the equation a term called the ‘Supplement’ (denoted by the abbreviation ‘Supp.’)…. The expression of the Supplement should in every case be furnished by the theory.
1884. trans. Lotze’s Logic, 278. h . f2 x . d h … is the general term of this second series, and is what we must add as supplement to the general term of the first series.
† 2. The action of supplying what is wanting; the making good of a deficiency or shortcoming.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 345/1. The feeste of all the sayntes was establysshed … Fyrste for the dedycacion of the Temple secondly for supplement of offences done.
1523. Skelton, Garl. Laurel, 415. Mayster Chaucer to Skelton.… Your besy delygence Of that we [sc. Chaucer, Gower and Lydgate] beganne in the supplement.
1575. in Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot., 1585. 261/1. Our said kirk … haveand neid and mister of beitment and supplement.
1586. A. Day, Engl. Secretorie, II. (1625), 76. For better supplement of the learners knowledge.
1591. Reg. Privy Council Scot., IV. 611. Ane new gift of the saidis landis grantit with all dew solempniteis and with supplement of all faultis.
1610. Donne, Pseudo-martyr, 21. Councels submitted their decrees to the Emperours for Authoritie, and supplement of defects.
1660. R. Coke, Power & Subj., 135. Equity is … either a remission or moderation of the laws … or … a supplement of the law in cases wherein things in conscience ought to be done.
b. Sc. Law. Letters (or writ) of supplement, a writ issuing from the Court of Session to compel the appearance before an inferior court of a person who resides out of its jurisdiction. Oath in supplement, an oath of a party on his own behalf, admitted to confirm imperfect evidence, such as the oath of a single witness, so as to constitute sufficient legal proof: cf. suppletory oath s.v. SUPPLETORY a. b.
1672. in G. J. Bell, Comm. Laws Scot. (ed. 5), I. 331, note. The count-book, with the merchant’s oath in supplement, was sufficient to make it a full probation.
1693. Stair, Inst. Law Scot. (ed. 2), IV. xlv. § 17. 710. Whosoever is cited by a Messenger, to Compear and Depone by an Oath of Calumny, Verity or Supplement, if he do not Depone, he is holden as Confest.
1765–8. Erskine, Inst. Law Scot., I. ii. § 17. The pursuer must apply to the court of session … for letters of supplement … containing a warrant to cite the defender to appear before the judge of the territory where the controverted subject lies.
1826. G. J. Bell, Comm. Laws Scot. (ed. 5), II. 66, note. If the original creditor do not live within the jurisdiction in which the arrestee resides,… he must be summoned by a writ of supplement from the Court of Session.
1838. W. Bell, Dict. Law Scot., 378, s.v. Evidence, The oath in supplement is admitted to supply deficiences in legal evidence, where the party whose oath is allowed has brought what is called a semiplena probatio.
† 3. The reinforcement of troops; chiefly concr. (sing. and pl.), reinforcement(s). Obs.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Hen. VI., 137. Twoo M. archers, and foure hundred speres, was sente into Gascoyne, as a suppliment to the countrey.
1549. Acts Privy Council (1890), II. 273. xvj Albanoys horsmen, to him allotted for the suplement of his band.
1600. Holland, Livy, XLII. x. 1121. The Pretors also, who required to have a supplement with them into Spain.
1665. Manley, Grotius’ Low C. Wars, 421. Souldiers both of Horse and Foot were … drawn together … as a Supplement to the old exhausted Militia.
† 4. The action of supplying or providing; that which is supplied; supply, provision. Obs.
1544. St. Papers Hen. VIII., I. 766. We see manifest occasion of moche greatter charge, then was att the begynnyng consideryd;… and … as We cannot use any other present meanes, for the supplement hereof, thenne [etc.]. Ibid. (1545), III. 519. Supposing that they have of His Majestie sufficient supplyment for ther furnyture. Ibid., 543. We coulde have no supplement of caske for their victualles, but suche as we had from … Waterforde.
1588. Parke, trans. Mendoza’s Hist. China, 77. Generall puruier and president of the counsell of warre: whose office is … for the suppliment of garrisons.
1615. Chapman, Odyss., IX. 242. We had not spent Our ruddie wine aship-boord: supplement Of large sort, each man to his vessell drew.
1658. Osborn, K. James, Wks. (1673), 494. The People, if they denied him supplement or inquired after the disposure of it, were presumptuous peepers into the sacred Ark of the State.
