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tenant - 6 dictionary results

ten⋅ant

  [ten-uhnt]
Use tenant in a Sentence
–noun
1. a person or group that rents and occupies land, a house, an office, or the like, from another for a period of time; lessee.
2. Law. a person who holds or possesses for a time lands, tenements, or personalty of another, usually for rent.
3. an occupant or inhabitant of any place.
–verb (used with object)
4. to hold or occupy as a tenant; dwell in; inhabit.
–verb (used without object)
5. to dwell or live (usually fol. by in).
Origin:
1250–1300; ME tena(u)nt < AF; MF tenant, n. use of prp. of tenir to hold ≪ L tenēre. See -ant

Related forms:
ten⋅ant⋅a⋅ble, adjective
ten⋅ant⋅less, adjective
ten⋅ant⋅like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ten·ant   (těn'ənt)   
n.  
  1. One that pays rent to use or occupy land, a building, or other property owned by another.
  2. A dweller in a place; an occupant.
  3. Law One who holds or possesses lands, tenements, or sometimes personal property by any kind of title.
tr. & intr.v.   ten·ant·ed, ten·ant·ing, ten·ants
To hold as a tenant or be a tenant.

[Middle English, from Old French, from present participle of tenir, to hold, from Latin tenēre; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Tenant

Ten"ant\, n. [F. tenant, p. pr. of tenir to hold. See Tenable, and cf. Lieutenant.]

1. (Law) One who holds or possesses lands, or other real estate, by any kind of right, whether in fee simple, in common, in severalty, for life, for years, or at will; also, one who has the occupation or temporary possession of lands or tenements the title of which is in another; -- correlative to landlord. See Citation from --Blackstone, under Tenement, 2. --Blount. Wharton.

2. One who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant. "Sweet tenants of this grove." --Cowper.

The hhappy tenant of your shade. --Cowley.

The sister tenants of the middle deep. --Byron.

Tenant in capite [L. in in + capite, abl. of caput head, chief.], or Tenant in chief, by the laws of England, one who holds immediately of the king. According to the feudal system, all lands in England are considered as held immediately or mediately of the king, who is styled lord paramount. Such tenants, however, are considered as having the fee of the lands and permanent possession. --Blackstone.

Tenant in common. See under Common.

Tenant

Ten"ant\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tenanted; p. pr. & vb. n. Tenanting.] To hold, occupy, or possess as a tenant.

Sir Roger's estate is tenanted by persons who have served him or his ancestors. --Addison.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : tenant
Spanish: inquilino, arrendatario,
German: der, *die Pächter(in); Pacht-…,
Japanese: 借用者
More Translations »

tenant 
1325, "person who holds lands by title or by lease," from Anglo-Fr. tenaunt (1292), O.Fr. tenant (12c.), noun use of prp. of tenir "to hold," from L. tenere "hold, keep" (see tenet).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: ten·ant
Pronunciation: 'te-n&nt
Function: noun
Etymology: Anglo-French, from Old French, from present participle of tenir to hold, from Latin tenEre
: one who holds or possesses property by any kind of right : one who holds a tenancy in property; specifically : one who possesses property in exchange for payment of rent —see also LESSEE —compare TENANCY
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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