Complicate
/ˈkɒm.plɪ.keɪt/noun
To make something more difficult, tangled, or involved.
Did you know?Complicate comes from Latin complicare, a word built from com- (“together”) + plicare (“to fold”), the same ancient root behind words like “ply” and “ploy,” both tied to twisting or folding.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*plek-
“to fold, weave, braid”
Latin
Latin
plicare
“to fold”
Latin
Latin
complicare
“to fold together, entwine”
Late Latin / Old French
Old French
compliquer
“to make intricate or involved”
Late Middle English
English
complicaten
“to make complex or entangled”
Modern English
English
complicate
“to make something more difficult or intricate”