tenure

noun

ten·​ure ˈten-yər How to pronounce tenure (audio)
 also  -ˌyu̇r
1
: the act, right, manner, or term of holding something (such as a landed property, a position, or an office)
especially : a status granted after a trial period to a teacher that gives protection from summary dismissal
2
: grasp, hold
tenurable adjective
tenurial adjective
tenurially adverb

Examples of tenure in a Sentence

… 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
During his tenure as head coach, the team won the championship twice. her 12-year tenure with the company His tenure in office will end with the next election. After seven years I was finally granted tenure. He hopes to get tenure next year. The defendant did not have tenure on the land. land tenure in Anglo-Saxon Britain See More
Recent Examples on the Web There was the 44-day question mark of Liz Truss’s tenure. Raven Smith, Vogue, 15 Nov. 2023 After teaching in Italy for two years, Mr. Wynn began his tenure at Purchase in 1986. Brian Seibert, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023 The only reminder of the bankrupt company's brief tenure as the town's biggest employer is a plaque honoring its donation to a nearby high school athletic field. Joshua Goodman, arkansasonline.com, 12 Nov. 2023 In 2019, the organization invited more women than men to join for the first time, and over the course of Bailey’s tenure the number of people of color in the group more than doubled. Josh Rottenberg, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2023 Mulkey won three titles at Baylor prior to her tenure at LSU. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 7 Nov. 2023 Throughout his tenure on Bravo, Carl has lost his brother, gone through his sobriety journey, and has now publicly dealt with a breakup from his fiancé. Krystie Lee Yandoli, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2023 Russia began to buy, adopt, and then assimilate systems and knowledge from the West, especially under President Dmitry Medvedev, whose tenure lasted from 2008 to 2012. Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2023 During his four-year tenure, Brognano helped to breathe new life into Blumarine, which hit a peak in the 1990s but lost traction in the 2010s. Kati Chitrakorn, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tenure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "possession of land under obligation to a superior, the land so held," borrowed from Anglo-French tenure, teneure, going back to Gallo-Romance *tenitūra "act of possessing," from Latin ten-, base of tenēre "to hold, possess" + -it-, generalized from past participles ending in -itus + -ūra -ure — more at tenant entry 1

Note: A number of renderings of the word in Medieval Latin from the 11th century on (as tenetura, tenatura, tentura, tenura, etc.) may reflect stages in the passage from Latin to French or attempts to Latinize a vernacular form.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tenure was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near tenure

Cite this Entry

“Tenure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenure. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

tenure

noun
ten·​ure ˈten-yər How to pronounce tenure (audio)
: the act, right, manner, or term of holding something (as property, a position, or an office)
especially : a status granted after a trial period to a teacher that gives protection from dismissal except for serious cause determined by formal proceedings
tenurial
te-ˈnyu̇r-ē-əl
adjective

Legal Definition

tenure

noun
ten·​ure ˈten-yər How to pronounce tenure (audio)
1
: the act, manner, duration, or right of holding something
tenure of office
specifically : the manner of holding real property : the title and conditions by which property is held
freehold tenure
2
: a status granted to a teacher usually after a probationary period that protects him or her from dismissal except for reasons of incompetence, gross misconduct, or financial necessity
tenurial adjective
tenurially adverb
Etymology

Anglo-French, feudal holding, from Old French teneüre, from Medieval Latin tenitura, ultimately from Latin tenēre to hold

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