Legal Dictionary
tenant
Legal Definition of tenant
Noun
- A person to whom a landlord grants temporary and exclusive use of land or a part of a building, usually in exchange for rent. The contract for this type of legal arrangement is called a lease. The word "tenant" originated under the feudal system, referring to land "owners" who held their land on tenure granted by a lord.
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Definition of tenant
Etymology
First attested 1325, from Anglo-Norman tenaunt, from Old French tenant, present participle of tenir (“to hold”), from Latin ten"re, present active infinitive of teneō (“hold, keep”).
Pronunciation
- (Canada, UK) IPA: /ˈtɛ.nənt/
- enPR: tĕnənt
Noun
tenant (plural tenants)
- One who pays a fee (rent) in return for the use of land, buildings, or other property owned by others.
- An occupant.
- (law) One who holds a property by any kind of right, including ownership.
Synonyms
Verb
tenant (third-person singular simple present tenants, present participle tenanting, simple past and past participle tenanted)
- To hold as, or be, a tenant.
References:
- Wiktionary. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
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