It does not add up to me that the word “implement” has a function of a verb. When a word contains the suffix “ment”, I tend to assume it is a noun. Of course, when the word is in the position following the subject, I realise it is a verb. But there is a rule that if you add “ment” to a verb, it becomes a noun, isn’t there? For example, the verb “manage” is changed into the noun “management”.
Eventually, I became interested in the origins of words, which led me to etymological dictionaries. I will show you an example below.
Etymonline – Online Etymology Dictionary
The online etymology dictionary (etymonline) is the internet’s go-to source for quick and reliable accounts of the origin and history of English words, phrases,…
A search of the word “implement” reveals that the word came into English in the 15th century and is derived from the Latin word implēre, meaning ‘filling up’, combined with mentum, meaning ‘instrument, medium or result of’. The word has been transformed from “something that fills a need” to “tools” that fulfil a requirement. It was further turned into a “means” to achieve an end. In the 17th century, the word became the verb ‘to fulfil’, a legal term, and then a verb meaning ‘to complete, to perform, to carry to effect’. Other similar cases of “ment” used as a verb are “complement”, “compliment” and “supplement”, for example. On a different note, complement and compliment are pronounced the same, but they have totally distinct meanings.
It is said to be useful to know the etymology of the word and from which language the words were borrowed, e.g. Latin or Greek. But it took surprisingly more time than I expected to search for and understand them.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Looking back now…