ment

1. a suffix of nouns, often concrete, denoting an action or resulting state (abridgment; refreshment), a product (fragment), or means (ornament).

suffix forming nouns

1. indicating state, condition, or qualityenjoyment
2. indicating the result or product of an actionembankment
3. indicating process or actionmanagement

suffix forming nouns, originally from French and representing Latin -mentum, which was added to verb stems sometimes to represent the result or product of the action. French inserts an -e- between the verbal root and the suffix (e.g. commenc-e-ment from commenc-er; with verbs in ir, -i- is inserted instead (e.g. sent-i-ment from sentir). Used with English verb stems from 16c. (e.g. merriment, which also illustrates the habit of turning -y to -i- before this suffix).