tenure

[ten-yer]

noun

1. the holding or possessing of anything.

   the tenure of an office.

2. the holding of property, especially real property, of a superior in return for services to be rendered.

3. the period or term of holding something.

4. status granted to an employee, usually after a probationary period, indicating that the position or employment is permanent.

verb (used with object)

1. to give tenure to.

   After she served three years on probation, the committee tenured her.

tenure

/ ˈtɛnjə, ˈtɛnjʊə /

noun

1. the possession or holding of an office or position

2. the length of time an office, position, etc, lasts; term

3. the improved security status of a person after having been in the employ of the same company or institution for a specified period

4. the right to permanent employment until retirement, esp for teachers, lecturers, etc

5. property law

   1. the holding or occupying of property, esp realty, in return for services rendered, etc

   2. the duration of such holding or occupation

Other Word Forms

• tenurial adjective
• tenurially adverb
• nontenurial adjective
• nontenurially adverb
• undertenure noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tenure¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French; Old French teneure, from Vulgar Latin tenitura (unrecorded), equivalent to tenit(us) (unrecorded) “held” (for Latin tentus, past participle of tenēre “to hold”) + -ura -ure

Word History and Origins

Origin of tenure¹

C15: from Old French, from Medieval Latin tenitūra, ultimately from Latin tenēre to hold

Example Sentences

By the end of his tenure, Canadians had grown frustrated with his political leadership and were ready to move on.

Read more on BBC

After Morgan was denied tenure at Harvard, the collection traveled back to California when the couple left for Stanford in 2005.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Is he really gearing up to contest the constitutional limits on his tenure in the White House?

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Judges and court staffers “are afraid of speaking out,” said Mary Ann Tally, a judge who retired near the beginning of Newby’s tenure as chief justice when she hit the statutory retirement age.

Read more on Salon

Compensation costs for staff and tenured faculty grew, too.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• administration 
• occupation 
• ownership 
• regime 
• reign 
• term