ENGLISH
REFERENCE

tenant

n. countable
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˈtɛnənt// UK //tˈɛnənt// ten·ant Archaic

n. a person who pays rent to live in a house or use a building that belongs to someone else.

n. a person or entity that occupies land or property rented from a landlord. Often used in legal or commercial contexts to describe the party holding a lease.


SIMPLE

The tenant pays the rent on the first of every month.

CONTEXTUAL

After the previous tenant moved out, the landlord repainted the walls and replaced the old carpets before the new family arrived.

COMPLEX

Commercial lease agreements often stipulate that the tenant is responsible for internal repairs, while the property owner maintains the structural integrity of the building.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English tenaunt, from Anglo-Norman tenaunt and Old French tenant, present participle of tenir (“to hold”), from Latin tenēre (“hold, keep”).

Etymology 2

Possibly just a modification of tenet, but note obsolete tenent (“tenet”).

Usage

Commonly paired with 'landlord' to describe the two parties in a rental agreement.

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