tenant
[ ten-uh nt ]
/ ˈtɛn ənt /
noun
a person or group that rents and occupies land, a house, an office, or the like, from another for a period of time; lessee.
Law. a person who holds or possesses for a time lands, tenements, or personalty of another, usually for rent.
an occupant or inhabitant of any place.
verb (used with object)
to hold or occupy as a tenant; dwell in; inhabit.
verb (used without object)
to dwell or live (usually followed by in).
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
dweller, resident, occupant, renter, inhabitant, holder, lodger, lessee, boarder, possessor, householder, roomer, addressee, leaseholder, indweller, occupier
Nearby words
- tenaille,
- tenaim,
- tenalgia,
- tenancy,
- tenancy in common,
- tenant farmer,
- tenant farming,
- tenant in chief,
- tenant in common,
- tenant-in-chief
Origin of tenant
1250–1300; Middle English tena(u)nt < Anglo-French; Middle French tenant, noun use of present participle of tenir to hold ≪ Latin tenēre. See -ant
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for tenant
tenant
/ (ˈtɛnənt) /
noun
a person who holds, occupies, or possesses land or property by any kind of right or title, esp from a landlord under a lease
a person who has the use of a house, flat, etc, subject to the payment of rent
any holder or occupant
verb
(tr) to hold (land or property) as a tenant
(intr foll by in) rare to dwell
Word Origin for tenant
C14: from Old French, literally: (one who is) holding, from tenir to hold, from Latin tenēre
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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tenant
early 14c., "person who holds lands by title or by lease," from Anglo-French tenaunt (late 13c.), Old French tenant (12c.), noun use of present participle of tenir "to hold," from Latin tenere "hold, keep" (see tenet).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper