comply English · revision 13277

− It is Middle English complien, to fulfil, carry out, probably from Old French compli, past participle of complir, to accomplish,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) from Vulgar Latin *complīre, from Latin complēre, to fill up (see [[complete]]).^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) The modern senses are a reintroduction in the 17th century from Italian complire, which had come to mean to satisfy the forms of courtesy (compare [[compliment]]),^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) itself from Catalan complir and Spanish cumplir.^(Hoad 1986)^(NODE 1998)