tenet

[ten-it, tee-nit]

noun

1. any opinion, principle, doctrine, dogma, etc., especially one held as true by members of a profession, group, or movement.

   Synonyms: position, belief

tenet

/ ˈtiːnɪt, ˈtɛnɪt /

noun

1. a belief, opinion, or dogma

Pronunciation Note

The word tenet is often mispronounced as , with an extra /n/ sound in the second syllable—exactly like the word tenant (meaning someone who rents and occupies an apartment, office, etc.). It is a mistake made by people across a wide range of educational backgrounds, because it is such a natural one to make: English has thousands of words that end in the unstressed syllable -ant or -ent, such as parent, accident, potent, and relevant. Moreover, the two sounds at the end of all these words—/n/ and /t/—are very easily made together because we pronounce them with the tongue in the same place, touching the upper palate (or roof) of the mouth. The almost identical-sounding and common word tenant makes it all too easy for the extra /n/ to creep into the second syllable of tenet. Another word that is liable to be mispronounced in a similar way, with an extra /n/ in the second syllable, is pundit. No doubt the first /n/ in both tenet and pundit also influences their mispronunciation. And in pundit, the /d/ sound is another one made in the same place as both /n/ and /t/. Talk about piling on!

Word History and Origins

Origin of tenet¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin: “he holds,” 3rd person singular present indicative of tenēre “to hold”; tenant ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of tenet¹

C17: from Latin, literally: he (it) holds, from tenēre to hold

Example Sentences

To achieve self-sufficiency, China has made advanced robotics a key tenet of its national strategy for technological and economic development.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

One of the tenets of 12-step programs is that by being of service to other people, you are also helping yourself, in part by putting your own life in perspective.

Read more on MarketWatch

“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so,” he said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

At her second-annual “Share the Arrows” conference, women traveled from across the country and as far away as Australia to hear the tenets of her gospel: Christianity is under attack.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A new ranking system aims to better capture excellence in key tenets of a college education.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• assumption 
• credo 
• creed 
• doctrine 
• dogma 
• faith 
• precept 
• presumption 
• teaching