Kilo Lingo

Line drawing of komplika
Coloured illustration of komplika
#1890 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

complicated, involved

Word origin

From Latin complicare, 'to fold together', from com- 'together' plus plicare 'to fold'. A complicated thing is one that has been folded in on itself so many times that you cannot see the shape of it, which is a better image than the word usually gets credit for.

Origin
Latin
Root
complicare
English cognates
complicated, complex, ply, plait

Examples

.

The rules are too complicated for children.

.

He explained the complicated problem with a simple example.

.

Our situation became more complicated than before.

Another false seam. It is tempting to read as kom- plus plik-, on the model of the real prefixes - and -. There is no prefix kom- in Esperanto and no root plik-, so nothing here comes apart: komplik- is one root, and the family runs kompliki (to complicate), i (to get complicated), o (a complication).

Say what you mean, though. is about the number of moving parts, not about how hard the thing is: a clock is but a clockmaker does not find it malfacila. A crossword is and not especially . Esperanto keeps that distinction more cleanly than English does, and using the right one of the pair is one of the small things that makes writing sound native. The opposite is simpla.

Where this fits

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Esperanto · Free printables

komplika: worksheet, infographic and listicle

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This word is part of lesson 38.