tenant definition - Dictionary

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tenant

ten·ant [ ténnənt ]

noun (plural ten·ants)

Definition:

1. renter of property: somebody who rents a building, house, apartment, plot of land, or piece of property for a fixed period of time. This arrangement is usually under the terms of a lease or a similar legal entitlement or agreement.

2. occupier of place: somebody living in or on a property

transitive and intransitive verb (past and past participle ten·ant·ed, present participle ten·ant·ing, 3rd person present singular ten·ants)

Definition:

pay rent to occupy property: to live in or on somebody else's property as a tenant

[14th century. < Anglo-Norman tenaunt, Old French tenant< tenir "to hold" < Latin tenere "hold, keep"]

ten·ant·a·ble adjective

ten·ant·ed adjective

ten·ant·less adjective

Word History


	The Latin word tenere "to hold, keep," from which tenant is derived, is also the source of English abstain, contain, continent¹, continue, countenance, detain, maintain, obtain, retain, sustain, tenacious, tenement, tenet, tennis, tenon, tenor, and tenure.