A Tenant Is Someone Holding
A tenant rents property from a landlord. The French verb behind the word means to hold, and it gives English tenure, tenacious and maintain.
A tenant occupies property owned by someone else. The word is the present participle of French *tenir*, to hold — a tenant is literally one holding. The same verb runs through *tenure*, *tenacious*, *contain*, *maintain*, *detain* and *sustain*, all of them about holding something in some way.
- A renter of property. *A long-standing tenant.*
- A holder of land. *Tenant farmers.*
- Tenancy — the arrangement. *A twelve-month tenancy.*
- Tenement — a building divided into flats. *A Glasgow tenement.*
- Confusable — *tenet*, a principle, is a different word. *A central tenet.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | tenant | The outgoing tenant. |
| Plural | tenants | Two tenants. |
| Abstract | tenancy | A short tenancy. |
| Related | tenure | Security of tenure. |
| Confusable | tenet | A basic tenet. |
- The tenant gave a month's notice.Housing.
- Tenant farmers worked land they did not own.Agriculture.
- A tenet of the theory, not a tenant of it.The confusion.
The tenir family
- Tenure — the holding of a position or land
- Tenacious — holding on stubbornly
- Maintain — hold in the hand, keep going
- Contain — hold together
- Retain — hold back
Old French *tenant*, holding, the present participle of *tenir*, from Latin *tenere*, to hold. English has used it since the 1300s in a legal sense.
What is the difference between tenant and tenet?
A tenant occupies property. A tenet is a principle or belief. They come from different Latin verbs and are easy to confuse in writing.
What is security of tenure?
A legal protection giving a tenant the right to stay in a property under defined conditions.