installment
UK[ɪnˈstɔːlmənt]US[ɪnˈstɑːlmənt]
n
A single payment of a set that is paid regularly until the total amount is reached.
n
One of the separate parts into which a story, television show, etc., is divided.
Morpheme Breakdown
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Etymology
The word "installment" originates from the verb "install," which entered English in the 1500s from Medieval Latin installare, meaning "to place in a stall or seat," particularly in an official position. This Latin term is built from the prefix in- ("in, into") and stallum ("stall, place"). The core concept is one of establishing something or someone in a fixed, secure position. Over time, the noun "installment" evolved to denote the process of establishing something through successive parts, such as placing payments into an account or placing episodes of a story into a series, reflecting the original idea of setting things in their proper place one step at a time.
Analysis
Structure: in + stall + ment
- in (Latin): A prefix meaning "in, into, on".
- stall (Old English): A root meaning "a standing place, a position".
- ment (Latin): A suffix forming nouns indicating an action, process, or result.
Examples
We paid for the car in monthly installments.
The final installment of the book series was highly anticipated.
The documentary will be shown in three one-hour installments.