Following or obeying a rule, request, or demand; acting in accordance with what is required or expected.
From Middle French 'complir' and Latin 'complere' (to complete or fulfill), the sense of 'following rules' evolved in English by the 1600s.
Compliance is such a neutral word now, but its root 'complere' originally meant 'to complete'—so being compliant means finishing the job of fulfilling expectations, which explains why non-compliance feels like an incomplete act.
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