Meanings
plural tenements
- A building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one.
He turned into Cumberland street and, going on some paces, halted in the lee of the station wall. No-one. Meade’s timberyard. Piled balks. Ruins and tenements.
1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[Episode 5]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLCSynonyms: tenement house, apartment building
- lawAny form of property that is held by one person from another, rather than being owned.
The island of Brecqhou is a tenement of Sark.
- figurativelyA dwelling; abode; habitation.
The philosopher and the lady-killer could not well keep house in the same tenement of clay.
1890, William James, “The Consicousness of Self”, in The Principles of Psychology, page 3102 more examples
Who has informed us that a rational soul can inhabit no tenement, unless it has just such a sort of frontispiece?
1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLCWhere she came from no man could tell. There were some said she was no woman, but a ghost haunting some mortal tenement.
1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna run-down apartment house barely meeting minimal standards
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinteneō“hold”
- Medieval Latintenimentum
- Old Frenchtenement
- Anglo-Normantenement“holding”
- Middle Englishtenement
- Englishtenement
From Middle English tenement, from Anglo-Norman tenement (“holding”), from Old French tenement, from Medieval Latin tenimentum, from Latin teneō (“hold”).
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek συνοικία
- συνοικία (sunoikía)a building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
Danish lejebolig, lejekaserne
- lejeboliga building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- lejekasernea building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
Dutch huurkazerne, flatgebouw
- huurkazernea building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- flatgebouwa building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- verpachtingany form of property that is held by one person from another, rather than being owned
Finnish vuokra-asunto, vuokratalo
- vuokra-asuntoa building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- vuokrataloa building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
French appartement, logement
- appartementa building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- logementa building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
German Mietskaserne, Wohnungsblock
- Mietskasernea building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- Wohnungsblocka building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- Wohnblocka building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- Mietshausany form of property that is held by one person from another, rather than being owned
Hungarian bérház, bérlet
- bérháza building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- bérletany form of property that is held by one person from another, rather than being owned
- bérleményany form of property that is held by one person from another, rather than being owned
- bérlakásany form of property that is held by one person from another, rather than being owned
Irish tionontán, tionóntán
- tionontána building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- tionóntánany form of property that is held by one person from another, rather than being owned
Italian casamento, condominio
- casamentoa building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- condominioa building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- case popolaria building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- casermonea building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
Latin insula
- insulaa building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
Polish kamienica czynszowa, czynszówka
- kamienica czynszowaa building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- czynszówkaa building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- parcela dzierżawnaany form of property that is held by one person from another, rather than being owned
Portuguese cortiço
- cortiçoa building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
Russian арендованное иму́щество
- арендованное иму́щество (arendovannoje imúščestvo)any form of property that is held by one person from another, rather than being owned
Spanish casa de vecindad, vecindad
- casa de vecindada building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- vecindada building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- bloque de viviendasa building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- inquilinatoa building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- solara building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
- conventilloa building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one
Cite this entry
tenement. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tenement
“tenement.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tenement. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tenement,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tenement.
Source: tenement on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.