▪ I. complexion, n.
(kəmˈplɛkʃən)
Forms: 4–5 complexioun, 5–6 -ione, -yon, 4–6 compleccioun, -ion(e, -yon, complexcion, -ioun, -yon, 6 complextion, 4–9 -plection, 4– complexion.
[a. F. complexion (13th c. in Littré), ad. L. complexiōn-em ‘combination, connexion, association’, later ‘physical constitution or conformation’, f. complex- ppl. stem of complectĕre taken analytically from com- together + plectĕre to plait, twine.]
I. From Romanic and med. Latin.
† 1. a. In the physiology and natural philosophy of the Middle Ages: The combination of supposed qualities (cold or hot, and moist or dry) in a certain proportion, determining the nature of a body, plant, etc.; the combination of the four ‘humours’ of the body in a certain proportion, or the bodily habit attributed to such combination; ‘temperament’. Obs. exc. Hist.
| c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 333 Of his complexioun he was sangwyn. 1393 Gower Conf. III. 116 Whose [Saturn's] complexion Is colde. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. (MS.B.) 10 Þe qualities..ben foure: hot, colde, moyst and drye, and complexiouns ben by ham, yt ys necessarie to fynden in bodies þat ben medlyde, foure complexiouns; complexioun ys noþynge ellys but a manere qualitie medlyde in worchynge. 1533 Elyot Cast. Helthe (1541) Q a, Complexion is a combynation of two dyvers qualities of the foure elementes in one bodye, as hotte and drye of the Fyre: hotte and moyste of the Ayre. 1548–77 Vicary Anat. (1888) 18 The Grystle..is of complexion colde and drye. Ibid. 22 The flesh..is in complexion hote and moyst. 1578 Lyte Dodoens iii. lvi. 397 It engendreth fevers in suche as be of a hoate complexion. Ibid. v. lxviii. 633 Arsesmart is colde and dry of complexion. 1683 Tryon Way to Health 3 A Mans Complexion, of which there are commonly reckon'd four kinds, viz. the Cholerick, the Phlegmatick, the Sanguine and the Melancholy. 1712 Henley Spect. No. 396 ¶2 These Portraitures..give that melancholy Tincture to the most sanguine Complexion, which this Gentleman calls an Inclination to be in a Brown-study. 1829 Southey Sir T. More (1831) I. 254 As long as practitioners proceeded upon the gratuitous theory of elementary Complections. |
† b. Also used as equivalent to ‘humour’, or to ‘collection of humours’.
Obs.| c 1374 Chaucer Troylus v. 369 Leches seyne that of complecciouns Proceden they [dreams], or fast, or glotonie. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. v. lvii. (1495) 174 The bones ben greuyd by gadrynge of grete complexion and humours in the joyntes of bones. 1547 Boorde Brev. Health ccxxix. (1598) 78 b, Melancholy other wise named blacke coler..is one of the four Complections or Humours, and is cold and dry. 1689 Evelyn Mem. (1857) III. 314 This variety of dreams which he, as well as Hippocrates, and others..attribute to the crasis and constitution of the body and complexions domineering. |
† 2. a. Bodily habit or constitution (
orig. supposed to be constituted by the ‘humours’).
Obs.| 1340 Ayenb. 31 Þou art to fiebble of compleccioun, þou ne miȝt naȝt do þe greate penonces. 1483 Caxton Cato B vj b, Thou oughtest to slepe..whan..that nature requyreth hit and thy complexyon. 1490 ― Eneydos 85 [She] prepared to hym [the dragon] his mete, alle after his complexion. 1525 Ld. Berners Froiss. II. cvii. [ciii.] 310 The Countrey was not mete for their complexions. 1545 T. Raynalde Byrth Mankynde 49 If the partie be weke and of feble complexion. 1602 Shakes. Ham. v. ii. 102 Mee thinkes it is very soultry, and hot for my Complexion. 1686 F. Spence tr. Varillas' Ho. Medici 292 He was of so strong and sound a complexion. 1761 Hume Hist. Eng. II. xx. 5 The duke of Brabant was of a sickly complexion and weak mind. |
† b. Physical constitution or nature (of members of the body).
Obs.| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. (1495) iii. xx. The tongue, towchinge the complexion of the substaunce therof is holowe and moyste. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. (MS. A.) 21 Þe maris [matrix] of womman haþ an able complexcioun to conseiven. Ibid. 22 Þese smale lymes han dyvers foormes, complexciouns & helpingis aftir þe dyversitees of þe proporciouns of þe mater, which þat þei ben maad of. 1604 E. G. D'Acosta's Hist. Indies iii. ix. 146 (Of Sea-sickness). We see some are taken therewith passing rivers in Barkes: others..going in Coches and Carosses, according to the divers complexions of the stomacke. |
† 3. Constitution or habit of mind, disposition, temperament; ‘nature’.
Obs. (
exc. as
fig. of 4).
| c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶511 Or ellis his complexioun is so corrageous that he may not forbere. c 1485 Digby Myst. (1882) v. Mor. Wisd. 343, I know all compleccions of man, wher-to he is most disposed. 1535 Joye Apol. Tindale 20 Here mayst thou se of what nature and complexion Tindale is. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. iii. i. 32 Shylocke..knew the bird was fledg'd, and then it is the complexion of them al to leaue the dam. 1599 ― Much Ado ii. i. 305 Something of a iealous complexion. 1702 Eng. Theophrast. 120 Men that are cowards by complexion are hardly to be made valiant by discourse. 1742 Hume Ess., Sceptic (1817) I. 176 A very amorous complexion. 1791 Burke App. Whigs Wks. VI. 48. 1856 Emerson Eng. Traits, Lit. Wks. (Bohn) II. 115 The two complexions, or two styles of mind—the perceptive class, and the practical finality class. |
4. a. The natural colour, texture, and appearance of the skin,
esp. of the face;
orig. as showing the ‘temperament’ or bodily constitution. (Now, without any such notion, the ordinary sense.)
| [1568 Grafton Chron. II. 575 The Lady Margaret..was of such nasty complexion and evill savored breath.] 1580 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 405 Rhodope beeing beautifull (if a good complection and fayre fauour be tearmed beautie). 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. ii. i. 1 Mislike me not for my complexion, The shadowed liuerie of the burnisht sunne. a 1639 Wotton Educ. in Reliq. Wotton (1672) 78 The child's colour or complexion (as we vulgarily term it). 1699 W. Dampier Voy. II. i. viii. 161 People of more different Complexions..from the cole black to a light tawney. 1753 Hogarth Anal. Beauty xii. 96 A beautiful complexion. 1856 Emerson Eng. Traits, Race Wks. (Bohn) II. 30 The English face..with the fair complexion, blue eyes, and open..florid aspect. |
| fig. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, ii. ii. 6 It discolours the complexion of my Greatnesse to acknowledge it. |
† b. Rarely, the colour of hair or beard.
Obs.| 1822 Southey in Q. Rev. XXVII. 3 Having a red beard, a complexion very unusual in Portugal. |
† c. Countenance, face.
Obs. rare—1.
| 1604 Shakes. Oth. iv. ii. 62 Turne thy complexion there. |
5. transf. Of other things: Colour, visible aspect, look, appearance.
| 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, iii. ii. 194 Men judge by the complexion of the Skie The state and inclination of the day. 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. ii. vi. 97 Clove..dryed in the Sun, becommeth blacke, and in the Complexion we receive it. 1691 Ray Creation i. (1704) 113 [Metals] reduced again into their natural Form and Complexion. 1856 Stanley Sinai & Pal. i. (1858) 90 The wear and tear of weather, which has effaced..the features and tanned the complexion of all the other temples. |
† 6. A colouring preparation applied (by women) to ‘give a complexion’ to the face.
Obs.| 1601 Holland Pliny, Explan. Wds. Art, They are called at this day complexions, whereas they be cleane contrarie; for the complexion is naturall, and these altogether artificiall. 1608 Bp. Hall Char. Virtues & V. ii. 117 He hath salves for every sore..complexion for every face. 1616 Bullokar, Complexion, sometime..painting used by women. |
7. a. fig. (from senses 1–3). Quality, character, condition; in
mod. use often with some notion of ‘tinge, colour, aspect’ from senses 4–5.
| 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie iii. v. (Arb.) 161 Vnder these three principall complexions (if I may with leaue so terme them) high, meane and base stile, there be contained many other humors or qualities of stile. a 1626 Bacon Max. & Uses Com. Law Pref. 2 The amendment..of the very nature and complection of the whole law. a 1661 Fuller Worthies (1840) II. 417 The complexion of the times being altered. 1754 Chatham Lett. Nephew iii. 10 Upon [your education] the complexion of all the rest of your days will infallibly depend. 1843 Prescott Mexico ii. vi. (1864) 103 These acts..were counterbalanced by others of an opposite complexion. |
b. (
fig. from 4 or 5.) Appearance, aspect.
| 1818 Jas. Mill Brit. India II. v. viii. 684 Skill..in putting off the evil day: and in giving a fair complexion to the present one. |
II. From old Latin senses.
† 8. Embrace. [L.
complexus.]
Obs. rare.
| 1493 Festivall (1515) 88 b, For flesshely complexcyon of a man and woman..Our lady..conceyued not with complexcyon of man. |
† 9. Complication, combination.
Obs.| 1628 T. Spencer Logick 11 [In] the second Chapter of Aristotles Categories..wee haue these words: Those things, which are contained in Logick, bee (1) without complexion [ἄνευ συµπλοκῆς], (2) with complexion [κατὰ συµπλοκήν]. a 1655 Vines Lord's Supp. (1677) 80 We take the Sacrament, and the thing of the Sacrament in complexion. 1669 Gale Crt. Gentiles i. 1. xi. 69 The Syriac..sprang up.. from the complexion or combination of the Hebrew and Chaldee. 1725 Watts Logic (1736) 165 Beside this Complexion which belongs to the Subject or Predicate. |
† 10. quasi-
concr. A coupling, a combination.
| 16.. B. Jonson Eng. Gram. i. v. (1692) 678 Diphthongs are the complexions, or couplings of vowels. 1678 Cudworth Intell. Syst. i. i. §27. 28 The various complexions and conjugations of those simple elements. 1832 Austin Jurispr. (1879) II. xli. 727 Most rights and duties..are complexions or aggregates of elementary rights and duties. |
† 11. = complex n. 1.
Obs. rare.
| 1678 Cudworth Intell. Syst. Pref. 4 Whatsoever is contained within the complexion of the universe. 1741 Watts Improv. Mind xii. §6 (1801) 96 That..the whole complexion of the debate may not be thrown into confusion. |
III. Comb., (sense 4)
complexion brush,
complexion cream,
complexion-maker,
complexion milk,
complexion powder,
complexion soap.
| 1897 Sears, Roebuck Catal. 33/2 Complexion Brush..especially constructed for massaging the skin. |
| 1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 536/2 Complexion cream. For face massage, tin 1/0. |
| 1619 W. Sclater Expos. 1 Thess. (1630) 136 Complexion-makers wee haue..for withered faces. |
| 1938 E. Bowen Death of Heart iii. i. 334 Anna wiped complexion milk off her fingers on to a tissue. |
| 1864 Englishwoman's Dom. Mag. July 117 A complexion-powder called batikha, which is used in all the harems for whitening the skin, is made in the following manner. 1897 Sears, Roebuck Catal. 34/3 Pozzoni's Complexion Powder. |
| 1895 Montgomery Ward Catal. 109/3 Lana Oil Complexion Soap..for preserving the skin and leaving it soft and pliable. 1970 Vogue May 173 Our White Rose and Cucumber Complexion soap is very feminine. |
▪ II. complexion, v. (
kəmˈplɛkʃən)
[f. prec. n.; cf. F. complexionné ppl. a.] † 1. trans. To constitute by combination of various elements; to put together, compose.
Obs.| 1413 Lydg. Pilgr. Sowle iv. xxvi. (1483) 71 The sowle of another body, the whiche is complexyoned and formed of more ruder mater. 1610 Donne Pseudo Martyr ii. §5. 12 The Elements of the Christian religion of which it was framed and Complexioned. 1658 W. Burton Itin. Anton. 155 London is a body well complexioned. |
2. To give a complexion, colour, or tinge to.
| 1612 W. Parkes Curtaine-Dr. (1876) Our woemen..in curling their tresses, in azuring their veines, in complexioning their cheeks. 1861 L. L. Noble Icebergs 58 The headland..richly complexioned with red, brown and green. |
| fig. 1889 Mem. H. Bonar 99 This mode of prophetic interpretation dominated and complexioned all his views. |
Hence
comˈplexioning vbl. n.| 1656 Artif. Handsomeness 25 The use of any colouring or complexioning of the face or skin. |
| attrib. Ibid. 198 Ladies complexioning arts. |