-ment noun ending BrE AmE mənt , verb ending ment
▷ — ornament noun ˈɔːn ə mənt AmE ˈɔːrn- , verb ˈɔːn ə ment AmE ˈɔːrn- —This ending is usually weak in nouns, strong in verbs (although this standard distinction is not always observed by native speakers). In most cases -ment is unstressed and has no effect on stress. In two-syllable verbs, however, it is stressed: compare the noun ˈsegment and the verb to segˈment. There are various exceptions, including ˈcomment verb., noun., laˈment verb., noun., torment, ferment (in these latter two the ending is always strong, unstressed in the noun but stressed in the verb).