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temptation
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tempter
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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.
Encarta® World English Dictionary [North American Edition] © & (P)2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
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