tenure
[ ten-yer ]
/ ˈtɛn yər /
noun
the holding or possessing of anything: the tenure of an office.
the holding of property, especially real property, of a superior in return for services to be rendered.
the period or term of holding something.
status granted to an employee, usually after a probationary period, indicating that the position or employment is permanent.
verb (used with object)
to give tenure to: After she served three years on probation, the committee tenured her.
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Origin of tenure
1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French; Old French teneure < Vulgar Latin *tenitura, equivalent to *tenit(us) held (for Latin tentus, past participle of tenēre) + -ura -ure
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for tenure
British Dictionary definitions for tenure
tenure
/ (ˈtɛnjʊə, ˈtɛnjə) /
noun
the possession or holding of an office or position
the length of time an office, position, etc, lasts; term
mainly US and Canadian the improved security status of a person after having been in the employ of the same company or institution for a specified period
the right to permanent employment until retirement, esp for teachers, lecturers, etc
property law
- the holding or occupying of property, esp realty, in return for services rendered, etc
- the duration of such holding or occupation
Derived Formstenurial, adjectivetenurially, adverb
Word Origin for tenure
C15: from Old French, from Medieval Latin tenitūra, ultimately from Latin tenēre to hold
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for tenure
tenure
early 15c., "holding of a tenement," from Anglo-French and Old French tenure "a tenure, estate in land" (13c.), from Old French tenir "to hold," from Vulgar Latin *tenire, from Latin tenere "to hold" (see tenet). The sense of "condition or fact of holding a status, position, or occupation" is first attested 1590s. Meaning "guaranteed tenure of office" (usually at a university or school) is recorded from 1957.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper