Tenancy
nounThe right to occupy or use property, especially under a rental agreement, or the period for which it is held.
How to spell tenancy
7 letters · 3 syllables
How to pronounce tenancy
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does tenancy mean?
- nounThe right to occupy or use property, especially under a rental agreement, or the period for which it is held.
Tenancy in a sentence
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The landlord ended the tenancy after the rent went unpaid for three months.
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A standard tenancy in the city runs for twelve months before renewal.
Where does tenancy come from?
Language of origin: Latin
The word comes from the Latin verb tenere, which literally meant 'to hold' or 'to keep'. From this verb Old French developed the legal term tenant, the present participle meaning 'one who holds', used for a person holding land or property from a lord. English borrowed tenant in the medieval period as feudal land law took shape, and from it built the abstract noun tenancy to name the condition of holding such property. The -ancy ending, which English took from French -ance and ultimately Latin -antia, turns the actor noun into the name of a state, much as 'occupant' relates to 'occupancy'. The same tenere root quietly survives in a whole family of English words, including tenable, tenure, retain, and tenacious, all of which carry the underlying idea of holding fast.
How the word is built
- ten- (from Latin tenere: to hold)
- -ancy (noun suffix indicating a state or condition)
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