English word tenant comes from Latin tener, Proto-Italic *tenēō (Hold.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| tener | Latin (lat) | (poetic) erotic. Effeminate, sensitive. Soft, delicate, tender. Young, youthful. |
| *tenēō | Proto-Italic (itc-pro) | Hold. |
| teneo | Latin (lat) | (of laws) I am binding on; bind, hold, obligate. (reflexive) I keep back, remain, stay, hold position. I comprise, contain, include, hold. I hold fast, restrain, detain, check, control; bind, fetter. I hold, have; grasp. I insist, uphold. I know, grasp, understand, conceive. I possess, occupy, control. I reach, attain; gain, acquire, obtain. I recollect, retain knowledge of, remember, bear [...] |
| *tenīre | Vulgar Latin (la-vul) | |
| *tenio | Latin (lat) | (Vulgar Latin, Gallo-Romance) I have, possess.. (Vulgar Latin, Gallo-Romance) I hold. |
| tenez | Old French (fro) | |
| tenant | Old French (fro) | Holder; owner (attributively). Sticky; adhesive. Strong (of an object, etc.) Holder. Possessor (of land or property); tenant. |
| tenaunt | Anglo-Norman (xno) | |
| tenant | English (eng) | To hold as, or be, a tenant. (legal) One who holds a property by any kind of right, including ownership.. One who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant.. One who pays a fee (rent) in return for the use of land, buildings, or other property owned by others. |