A tenant is a person or group that rents and lives in or uses someone else’s property, such as a house, apartment, or land. They pay money, called rent, to the owner.
From Old French *tenant* meaning 'holding', from Latin *tenere* 'to hold'. It originally meant simply 'one who holds land' rather than specifically a renter.
A tenant is literally a 'holder'—someone who holds property for a time. It’s closely related to words like 'tenure' and 'tenacious', all about holding on to something.
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