4. A thing may be applied to another thing so as to fit perfectly, as a seal to its impression; hence, a thing which is adapted to another thing, or which supplements it; that which serves to complete or complement anything; hence, a person or thing having qualities lacking in another; an opposite.
O counterpart
Of our soft sex, well are you made our lords.
Dryden.
Coun"ter*pas`sant (-p?s"sant), a. [Counter- + passant: cf. F. contrepassant.] (Her.) Passant in opposite directions; -- said of two animals.
Coun`ter*plead" (koun`t?r-pl?d"), v. t. To plead the contrary of; to plead against; to deny.
Coun`ter*plot" (koun`t?r-pl?t"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Counterplotted; p. pr. & vb. n. Counterplotting.] To oppose, as another plot, by plotting; to attempt to frustrate, as a stratagem, by stratagem.
Every wile had proved abortive, every plot had been counterplotted.
De Quinsey.
Coun"ter*plot` (koun"t?r-pl?t`), n. A plot or artifice opposed to another. L'Estrange.
Coun"ter*point` (koun"t?r-point`), n. [Counter- + point.] An opposite point [Obs.] Sir E. Sandys.
Coun"ter*point`, n. [F. contrepoint; cf. It. contrappunto. Cf. Contrapuntal.] (Mus.) (a) The setting of note against note in harmony; the adding of one or more parts to a given canto fermo or melody. (b) The art of polyphony, or composite melody, i. e., melody not single, but moving attended by one or more related melodies. (c) Music in parts; part writing; harmony; polyphonic music. See Polyphony.
Counterpoint, an invention equivalent to a new creation of music.
Whewell.
Coun"ter*point`, n. [OF. contrepoincte, corruption of earlier counstepointe, countepointe, F. courtepointe, fr. L. culcita cushion, mattress (see Quilt, and cf. Cushion) + puncta, fem. p. p. of pungere to prick (see Point). The word properly meant a stitched quilt, with the colors broken one into another.] A coverlet; a cover for a bed, often stitched or broken into squares; a counterpane. See 1st Counterpane.
Embroidered coverlets or counterpoints of purple silk.
Sir T. North.
Coun"ter*poise` (koun"t?r-poiz`; 277), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Counterpoised (-poizd`); p. pr. & vb. n. Counterpoising.] [OE. countrepesen, counterpeisen, F. contrepeser. See Counter, adv., and Poise, v. t. ] 1. To act against with equal weight; to equal in weight; to balance the weight of; to counterbalance.
Weights, counterpoising one another.
Sir K. Digby.