# comply

Pronunciation: say "kuhm-PLY" /kəmˈplaɪ/

## Verb

1. To yield assent to a request, rule, or demand; to agree, consent, or adapt oneself so as to conform.
   - Simple: To do what a rule, law, or request says you must do.
   - _The company complied with the court order within thirty days._
   - _Residents who refuse to comply with the evacuation notice face fines._

## Verb

2. To accomplish or fulfill something, such as a duty, promise, or set of conditions. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To finish or carry out a task, promise, or wish.
   - _The knight vowed to comply the oath he had sworn at court._
   - _Within a year she had complied every condition of her father's will._
3. To behave with ceremonious courtesy; to offer polite compliments and formal attentions. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To act in a very polite and formal way, with bows and kind words.
   - _The courtiers complied and bowed as the duchess passed through the hall._
   - _Every gentleman at court was expected to comply to each lady before the dance began._
4. To enfold something in one's arms or wrap it close to oneself; to embrace. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To put your arms around someone or something and hold it close.
   - _She complied the letter to her breast and wept._
   - _The old nurse rose to comply the infant in the folds of her cloak._

## Origin

'Comply' comes from Italian 'complire', Catalan 'complir' and Spanish 'cumplir' (to complete or fulfill), or perhaps from Old French 'compli', all going back to Latin 'complēre' from 'compleō' (to finish, complete, or fulfill). This was formed from 'com-', a prefix indicating completeness, plus 'pleō' (to fill), and it is related to English 'complete' and 'compliment'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/comply (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).