First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
tenure
noun ten·ure \ˈten-yər also -ˌyu̇r\
: the amount of time that a person holds a job, office, or title
: the right to keep a job (especially the job of being a professor at a college or university) for as long as you want to have it
law : the right to use property
Full Definition of TENURE
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— ten·ur·able \-ə-bəl\ adjective
— te·nur·ial \te-ˈnyu̇r-ē-əl\ adjective
— te·nur·ial·ly \-ə-lē\ adverb
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Examples of TENURE
- … but there is also about it just the trace of the nettlesome righteousness that alienated much of Washington during his tenure there, the not-so-subtle suggestion that while he might be in politics, he is not of politics and certainly not, God_forbid, a politician. —Jim Wooten, New York Times Magazine, 29 Jan. 1995
- Pittsburgh's offensive linemen, trap blockers during Noll's tenure, had to bulk up for the straight-ahead game. —Paul Zimmerman, Sports Illustrated, 9 Nov. 1992
- A mural on the upper half of a four-story guesthouse was painted in 1977 by twelve-year-old schoolchildren, whose tenure on the scaffold must have thrilled their parents. —John McPhee, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 1988
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Origin of TENURE
Middle English, from Anglo-French teneure, tenure, from Medieval Latin tenitura, from Vulgar Latin *tenitus, past participle of Latin tenēre to hold — more at thin
Other Education Terms
Rhymes with TENURE
abjure, adjure, Adour, allure, amour, Ashur, assure, brochure, ceinture, cocksure, coiffure, conjure, contour, couture, demure, detour, dirt-poor, endure, ensure, faubourg, for sure, Fraktur, grandeur, gravure, guipure, hachure, immure, impure, insure, inure, kultur, land-poor, langur, ligure, manure, mature, mohur, obscure, parure, perdure, procure, rondure, secure, siddur, tambour, tandoor, Uighur, unmoor, velour, velure
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