tenant in chief
or tenant-in-chief
Save This Word!
noun
a feudal vassal who holds land directly from the king.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Also called ten·ant in cap·i·te [kap-i-tee]. /ˈkæp ɪ ti/.
Origin of tenant in chief
First recorded in 1600–10
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use tenant in chief in a sentence
The same principle applies to the relation between the tenant-in-chief and his under-tenant.
The old Parliaments, which every tenant-in-chief had at least the customary right of attending, were no longer to exist.
A Student's History of England, v. 1 (of 3)|Samuel R. Gardiner.
British Dictionary definitions for tenant in chief
tenant-in-chief
noun
(in feudal society) a tenant who held some or all of his lands directly from the king
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012