Etymology and origin of the Latin word -mentum
- Confidence
- Probable
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- c. 250–184 BC Plautus
- Ultimate origin
- Latin -men
Forms
-mentum (plural -menta)[1]
Etymology
The suffix is from Latin -men, enlarged,[2][1] which Wiktionary traces through Proto-Italic *-məntom to Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥tom.[1] Weiss sees in it the substantivized neuter of a possessive adjective in ⟨-to-⟩ made from neuters in -men, and compares Old High German hliumunt “reputation”.[3] Sihler likewise speaks of possessive adjectives often used as neuter nouns, and connects them with the Greek neuters in -μα (-ma).[4]
Earliest recorded meaning
Plautus already has fundāmentum, ōrnāmentum, testāmentum and vestīmentum.[3]
Semantic evolution
Besides verbs it was sometimes added to nouns, as in ātrāmentum and palūdāmentum.[2] It names an instrument, medium or result,[1] and a table in Weiss, based on Quellet, counts about 450 words with it.[3] In Vulgar Latin and Old French it came to be used for nouns of action, and English took it over from French as -ment.[5]
Timeline
- c. 250–184 BC – Plautus has fundāmentum and testāmentum.[3][6]
- c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius has fragmentum.[3][6]
Meanings
Suffix
- Forms neuter nouns for an instrument, medium or result, usually from verbs: armāmentum, pulmentum.[2][1]
- Forms such nouns from nouns: ātrāmentum, palūdāmentum.[2]
Word family
- fundāmentum
- ōrnāmentum
- testāmentum
- vestīmentum
- fragmentum
- alimentum
- armāmentum
- pulmentum
- ātrāmentum
- palūdāmentum
- strāmentum
Related words
- Italian -mento
- Spanish -miento
- Romanian -mânt
- English -ment
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c d e Weiss, Michael (2020), Outline of the Historical and Comparative Grammar of Latin, 2nd ed., Ann Arbor: Beech Stave
- ^ Sihler, Andrew L. (1995), New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, New York: OUP
- ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
Borrowed into
- English -ment
Cite this entry
“-mentum.” Etymologically, 6 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/-mentum. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.
Last edited on . ·