What does complice mean?
Complice is a noun meaning an associate or partner in wrongdoing — in other words, an accomplice. The word came into English from Old French in the medieval period and served for centuries as the standard term for someone who joined another in a crime, conspiracy, or disreputable enterprise. Over time, however, it was gradually displaced by the longer form 'accomplice', which absorbed its meaning entirely; by the modern era 'complice' had become archaic, surviving mainly in historical records, legal documents of earlier centuries, and older literature. When it does appear, it carries precisely the disapproving connotations of its successor: guilt by participation rather than sole authorship of the offence. Although you are unlikely to need 'complice' in everyday speech, knowing it illuminates the ancestry of 'accomplice' and 'complicity', both of which descend from the same Latin root meaning 'to fold together' — a fitting image for people whose actions are folded together in a shared deed.
nounAn associate or partner in wrongdoing; an accomplice. Now rare and largely archaic, having been almost entirely superseded by 'accomplice'.
- A person who joins another in committing some wrongful or illegal act; an accomplice.
"The court suspected the merchant had a complice within the guild who had tipped him off about the inspection."
"The thief could not have entered the vault alone; surely he had a complice among the guards."
"In the old chronicle, every conspirator was named as a complice to the treason."
The plural follows the standard English pattern; it appears chiefly in historical or legal texts.
"The indictment named three complies who had aided the smugglers."
Before English speakers said 'accomplice', they simply said 'complice' — and the word quietly survives in legal history and old crime fiction.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of complice
Complice entered English from Old French 'complice', deriving from late Latin 'complicem', a variant of 'complex', formed from 'com-' ('together') and 'plicare' ('to fold'), hence literally 'folded together' — a vivid metaphor for partners bound in a shared act. The same Latin root gave rise to 'complicate' and, via French, to 'complicity'. In English, 'complice' was later reinforced or paralleled by 'accomplice', which ultimately displaced it in ordinary use.
How complice is actually used
Archaic and rare in modern usage; readers today will almost always encounter 'accomplice' instead. 'Complice' may appear in historical documents, older literature, or deliberately archaising prose. It carries the same criminal or morally disapproving connotation as 'accomplice'.
Easily confused with complice
'Accomplice' is the modern, standard word for a partner in wrongdoing, while 'complice' is its older, now archaic root form — essentially the same meaning but rarely encountered outside historical texts.