Uncomplete

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not fully completed or finished in all its parts or details
2. Lacking some necessary element or component to be whole or finished
3. Remaining in an unfinished state without all required or expected elements

Etymology: "Uncomplete" is formed from the prefix "un-" attached to "complete." The prefix "un-" is an Old English negating element, used to reverse or deny the quality of the word it precedes, so "uncomplete" means "not complete." The base "complete" came into English from Latin "completus," the past participle of "complere," meaning "to fill up" or "to finish." Combined with "un-," the word describes something that has not been filled up or finished. Because the construction is transparent, the word follows the common pattern of English negative adjectives like "unfinished" or "unready," which were built the same way. It is less common than its synonym "incomplete," which comes from Latin "incompletus" with the Latin prefix "in-" instead of the Germanic "un-."