WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
sup•ple•tion
(sə plē′shən),USA pronunciation n.
Grammarthe use in inflection or derivation of an allomorph that is not related in form to the primary allomorph of a morpheme, as the use of better as the comparative of good.
- Medieval Latin supplētiōn- (stem of supplētiō) a filling up, equivalent. to supplēt(us), past participle of supplēre to make complete, (sup- sup- + plē-, stem of plēre to fill (see full1) + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion
- Middle English: supplementation, supplement 1275–1325
'suppletion' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):