Rent Comes From the Same Word as Render
A rental is a payment for use. The word descends from rendering, meaning what is given back to a landlord.
A rental is a payment for the temporary use of something. The word comes through French from Latin *reddere*, to give back — rent is what a tenant renders to a landlord. Economics uses *rent* more broadly for any return exceeding what is needed to keep a resource in use, which is where *rent-seeking* comes from.
- A payment for use. *Monthly rental.*
- Something rented. *A holiday rental.*
- Rent — the payment. *Pay the rent.*
- Rent-seeking — extracting value without creating it. *Rent-seeking behaviour.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | rental | Car rental. |
| Plural | rentals | Holiday rentals. |
| Noun | rent | Rising rent. |
| Verb | rent | Rent a flat. |
| Related | render | Render payment. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Rent is what a tenant renders.From the same root.
- Rent-seeking extracts value without creating it.Economics.
- A rent is also a tear.A separate word, from *rend*.
Rent in economics
- Economic rent — return above what is needed to keep a resource in use
- Land rent — the classic case, since land supply is fixed
- Rent-seeking — lobbying to capture value rather than create it
- Ground rent — a payment for land under a leasehold building
- Peppercorn rent — a nominal sum making a tenancy legally binding
From Old French *rente*, from Vulgar Latin *rendita*, from *rendere*, to give back.
What is rent-seeking?
Trying to increase your share of existing wealth without creating new wealth, typically by lobbying for favourable rules.
Is a rent in cloth the same word?
No. That comes from the verb *rend*, to tear, an unrelated Old English word.