Meanings
tenant1
plural tenants · alternative obsolete tenaunt · alternative obsolete tennant · alternative obsolete tennaunt
- One who holds a lease (a tenancy).
You are just a tenant here, you say / Living in and out of this life / As cheaply as you can
1982, “The Sitting Room”, in The Sitting Room, performed by Anne Clark1 more example
Long even before the last tenant had occupied it, the room had been regarded with fear and aversion, and the end of that last tenant had in no way lightened the gloom that hung about the place.
a. 1945, Arthur Morrison, The Thing in the Upper RoomSynonyms: renter, lessee, rentee, leaseholder
- broadlyOne who has possession of any place.
c. 1782-1783, William Cowper, Joy in Martyrdom sweet tenants of this grove
3 more examples
the happy tenant of your shade
1647, Abraham Cowley, The WishBut not in silence pass Calypso's isles, / The sister tenants of the middle deep; [...]
1812, Lord Byron, “Canto II”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. A Romaunt, London: […] [F]or John Murray, […]; William Blackwood, Edinburgh; and John Cumming, Dublin; by Thomas Davison, […], →OCLC, stanza XXVIII, page 75What words are these have fall’n from me? Can calm despair and wild unrest Be tenants of a single breast, Or sorrow such a changeling be?
1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XVI”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 26 - computingAny of a number of customers serviced through the same instance of an application.
multi-tenant hosting
- historicalOne who holds a feudal tenure in real property.
- broadlylawOne who owns real estate other than via allodial title.
present singular third person tenants · participle present tenanting · participle past tenanted · past tenanted · alternative obsolete tenaunt · alternative obsolete tennant · alternative obsolete tennaunt
- transitiveTo inhabit.
His thin legs tenanted a pair of gambadoes fastened at the side with rusty clasps.
1814 July 7, [Walter Scott], Waverley; or, ’Tis Sixty Years Since. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC2 more examples
The felling of dense and lofty forests, which covered, even within the records of history, a considerable space on the globe, now tenanted by civilized man, must generally have lessened the amount of vegetable food throughout the space where these woods grew.
1835, Charles Lyell, chapter IX, in Principles of Geology […] , 4th edition, volume III, London: John Murray, Book III, page 129They lived in palatial residences[…]their harems tenanted by numerous women[…]
1922, Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla, Zoroastrian Civilization, page 235
tenant2
alternative obsolete tenaunt · alternative obsolete tennant · alternative obsolete tennaunt
- misconstructionMisconstruction of tenet.
Tenant3
Synonyms & antonyms
nounOne who holds a lease (a tenancy).
verbTo hold as, or be, a tenant.
More synonyms by meaning
nounsomeone who pays rent to use land or a building or a car that is owned by someone else
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
tenant · noun, verb
- Latintenēre“hold, keep”
- Old Frenchtenant
- Anglo-Normantenaunt
- Middle Englishtenaunt
- Englishtenant
From Middle English tenaunt, from Anglo-Norman tenaunt and Old French tenant, present participle of tenir (“to hold”), from Latin tenēre (“hold, keep”).
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French
Full word history & related roots →tenant · noun
Possibly just a modification of tenet, but note obsolete tenent (“tenet”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مُسْتَأْجِر
- مُسْتَأْجِر (mustaʔjir)one who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
Basque etxetiar, maizter
- etxetiarone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- maizterone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
Bulgarian обитател, наемател
- обитател (obitatel)one who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- наемател (naematel)one who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- арендатор (arendator)one who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- со́бственик (sóbstvenik)law: one who holds property
Catalan llogater, inquilí
- llogaterone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- inquilíone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- llogarto hold as, or be, a tenant
Chinese Mandarin 房客, 房客
- 房客 (fángkè)one who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- 房客 (fángkè)one who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- 佃戶 /佃户 (diànhù)one who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- 租戶 /租户 (zūhù)one who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- 租借 (zūjiè)to hold as, or be, a tenant
- 租 (zū)to hold as, or be, a tenant
Czech nájemce, nájemník
- nájemceone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- nájemníkone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- vlastníklaw: one who holds property
Danish beboer, lejer
- beboerone who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- lejerone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
Dutch bewoner, huurder
- bewonerone who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- huurderone who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- pachterone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- eigenaarlaw: one who holds property
Finnish asukas, vuokralainen
- asukasone who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- vuokralainenone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- vuokraajaone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- vuokramiesone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- torpparione who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- (kiinteistön) haltijalaw: one who holds property
- vuokratato hold as, or be, a tenant
French occupant, locataire
- occupantone who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- locataireone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- louerto hold as, or be, a tenant
German Bewohner, Mieter
- Bewohnerone who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- Mieterone who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- Mieterone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- Pächterone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- Eigentümerlaw: one who holds property
- Besitzerlaw: one who holds property
- mietento hold as, or be, a tenant
Greek ένοικος, ενοικιαστής
- ένοικος (énoikos)one who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- ενοικιαστής (enoikiastís)one who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- μισθωτής (misthotís)one who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- νομέας (noméas)law: one who holds property
- επικαρπωτής (epikarpotís)law: one who holds property
- ενοικιάζω (enoikiázo)to hold as, or be, a tenant
- μισθώνω (misthóno)to hold as, or be, a tenant
Hungarian lakó, bérlő
- lakóone who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- bérlőone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- tulajdonoslaw: one who holds property
Icelandic ábúandi, leigjandi
- ábúandione who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- leigjandione who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- leigutakione who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
Irish tionónta, tionónta
- tionóntaone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- tionóntalaw: one who holds property
Italian inquilino, locatario
- inquilinoone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- locatarioone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
Japanese 借り主, 借地人
- 借り主 (kari-nushi)one who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- 借地人 (shakuchi-nin)one who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- 小作人 (kosaku-nin)one who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- 賃借人 (chinshaku-nin)law: one who holds property
- 賃借人 (chingari-nin)law: one who holds property
- 借りる (kariru)to hold as, or be, a tenant
- 土地を借りる (tochi o kariru)to hold as, or be, a tenant
Latin inquilīnus, inquilīnus
- inquilīnusone who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- inquilīnusone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
Māori kairīhi
- kairīhione who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
Norwegian leieboer
- leieboerone who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
Norwegian Bokmål leieboer
- leieboerone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
Persian مست, مستاجر
- مستone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- مستاجر (mosta'jer)one who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
Polish dzierżawca, najemca
- dzierżawcaone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- najemcaone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- lokatorone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
Portuguese inquilino
- inquilinoone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
Russian жиле́ц, квартиросъёмщик
- жиле́ц (žiléc)one who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- квартиросъёмщик (kvartirosʺjómščik)one who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- аренда́тор (arendátor)one who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- съёмщик (sʺjómščik)one who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- квартиросъёмщик (kvartirosʺjómščik)one who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- владелец (vladelec)law: one who holds property
- собственник (sobstvennik)law: one who holds property
- арендова́ть (arendovátʹ)to hold as, or be, a tenant
- снима́ть (snimátʹ)to hold as, or be, a tenant
Spanish habitante, residente
- habitanteone who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- residenteone who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- inquilinoone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- arrendatarioone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- propietariolaw: one who holds property
- dueñolaw: one who holds property
Swedish hyresgäst, hyresgäst
- hyresgästone who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- hyresgästone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- arrendatorone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- hyrato hold as, or be, a tenant
- arrenderato hold as, or be, a tenant
Turkish kiracı, sakin
- kiracıone who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- sakinone who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant
- kiracıone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- müstecirone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- sahiplaw: one who holds property
- kiralamakto hold as, or be, a tenant
Ukrainian квартирант
- квартирант (kvartyrant)one who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
Urdu کِرایَہ دار
- کِرایَہ دار (kirāya dār)one who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
Vietnamese người thuê, chủ sở hữu
- người thuêone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
- chủ sở hữulaw: one who holds property
Welsh tenant
- tenantone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc.
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with tenant
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
tenant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tenant
“tenant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tenant. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tenant,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tenant.
Source: tenant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.