What is the morphology of the word environment? At first glance, I see a possible -ment suffix on the end of the word and a possible en- prefix at the beginning. But to analyze the morphology accurately, I must investigate the etymology of the word.
Searching in both Wiktionary and Etymonline, I learn that Modern English environment meaning “surroundings” consists of environ + -ment by surface analysis. Thus, I immediately have evidence for my initially hypothesized -ment suffix, which is a noun suffix denoting a result or product.
<Environ + ment → environment>
I then further investigate the remaining <environ>. The word environ is both a verb that means “encircle, surround” and a noun (usually in the plural) that means “surrounding area.” Passing through Anglo-Norman environ and Middle French environ, Modern English environ ultimately comes from Old French environ. The verb also comes from Anglo-Norman envirouner, Middle French environner, and Old French environner, which also ultimately comes from Old French environ. The Old French environ comes from the univerbation of the phrase en viron meaning “in circle.”
Again, as suspected, the initial <en> of environment is the prefix en- denoting “near, at, in, into on, within.” One source of the English en– prefix is the Old French preposition en from Latin in.
<en + Viron + ment → environment>
Looking further into the remaining <Viron>, I learn that the Old French noun comes from the Old French verb virer meaning “to turn.” In Old French, the -on of viron is a noun ending forming resultative nouns. Modern English also has an -on suffix, one source of which is the Old French -on. Thus, the <Viron> in environment consists of the base <Vire> denoting “turn” from Old French virer and the -on noun suffixv from Old French -on.
<en + Vire + on + ment → environment>
Other morphological relatives with the <Vire> base include environs, environed, environing, environmental, and environmentalism, among others.
<en + Vire + on + s → environs>
<en + Vire + on + ed → environed>
<en + Vire + on + ing → environing>
<en + Vire + on + ment + al → environmental>
<en + Vire + on + ment + ism → environmentalism>
The word family for the <Vire> bound base is rather contained, always including the en- prefix and -on suffix.
But another base also developed from the Old French virer. The word veer comes from Anglo-Norman virer and/or Middle French virer, both of which come from Old French virer. Meaning “turn, swerve,” the word veer consists of the free base <Veer>.
<Veer → veer>
<Veer + s → veers>
<Veer + ed → veered>
<Veer + ing → veering>
And finally, to turn back to the initial question, the word environment consists of the en- prefix, <Vire> bound base, -on suffix, and -ment suffix.
