English
tenant
Tenant comes from Anglo-Norman tenaunt, from Latin teneō ‘hold, keep’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, draw’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-‘to stretch, draw’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēō‘to hold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneōas tenēre‘hold, keep’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400tenaunt
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1647tenant
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-‘to stretch, draw’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēō‘to hold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneōas tenēre‘hold, keep’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400tenaunt
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1647tenant
Earliest quotation: 1647, Abraham Cowley: “the happy tenant of your shade”.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, draw’
tight, tone, obtain, ton, tune, entertainment, maintenance, tender, tonic, pristine, pertinent, tendon, tenacious, tetanus, maintainer, tantra, countenance, tendinitis, hypotenuse, retentive, 63 more
through Proto-Italic *tenēō ‘to hold’
container, incontinent, 19 more
through Latin teneō ‘hold, keep’
continue, contain, content, retain, continuous, sustain, tennis, continent, detention, rein, retention, continuum, detain, abstain, abstinence, pertain, tenor, retinue, incontinence, tenacity, tenet, sustenance, tenement, abstention, continence, tenable, abstinent, 21 more
Today it means
noun One who holds a lease (a tenancy).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ten- / tenant