complex or complicated?

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The use of the term complex is often confused with the term complicated. To understand the differences, it is best to examine the roots of the two words. “Complicated” uses the Latin ending “plic” that means, “to fold” while “complex” uses the “plex” that means, “to weave.” Thus, a complicated structure is one that is folded with hidden facets and stuffed into a smaller space. On the other hand, a complex structure uses interwoven components that introduce mutual dependencies and produce more than a sum of the parts. In today’s systems, this is the difference between a myriad of connecting “stovepipes” and effective “integrated” solutions. This means that complex is the opposite of independent, while complicated is the opposite of simple.