-ment
-ment suffix forming sbs., repr. (O)F. -ment :- L. -mentum, which was added to vb.-stems to form sbs. expressing the result or product of an action or the means or instrument of it, e.g. fragmentum broken piece (f. frag-, frangere), ōrnāmentum that with which a thing is arranged (f. ōrnāre). pavimentum floor of stones beaten down (f. pavīre). In popL. it was extended to the formation of nouns of action (repl. -tiō -TION); this was continued in Rom. and is thus widely exemplified in Eng. adoptions from French, e.g. abridgement, government, management. This set the fashion for the treatment of -ment as if it were native, as in amazement, fulfilment, wonderment. Formations on adjs. are uncommon, as merriment, oddments. The corr. adjs. end in -mental.
More From encyclopedia.com
-meter , Skip to main content
-meter
-meter terminal el. in names of instruments for scientific measuring, the earliest of which (XVII) were adopted, partly t… -ism , -ISM
-ISM. A noun-forming SUFFIX, three of whose uses relate to language: (1) Forming words for concepts, activities, and conditions: agrammatism, bi… lact- , lact- stem of L. lac, lact- milk (cf. Gr. gála, galakt-; see GALAXY) in derivs.: lactation XVII(f. L. lactāre), lacteal XVII (f. L. lacteus), lacteou… chigoe , chigoe tropical flea. XVII. Earliest in F. form chique; later chego(e), chig(g)er, jigger; native (Carib) name. -graph , -graph repr. F. -graphe, L. -graphus — Gr. -graphos, which was used (i) in the sense ‘written’, as autógraphos autograph, kheirógraphos chirograph, (… -ated , bi- repr. L. bi- (earlier dui- = Gr. di-, Skr. dvi-) twice, doubly, two-, in L. chiefly in adj. formations on sb. stems, as BICEPS, bicolor of two co…
You Might Also Like
NEARBY TERMS
-ment