What does tenure mean?
Tenure means holding or being entitled to hold a position, office, or property right. Its best-known modern use is in higher education, where academic tenure is the granting of a continuing university or research post to a scholar. Tenure usually follows a period of review and may bring greater stability and professional independence, although it does not guarantee that a position will remain unchanged. The word can also mean the period during which an office or right is held, or the right to occupy property. In ordinary conversation, it often carries connotations of security, permanence, and institutional status. Because it distinguishes long-term professional or legal holding from temporary possession, tenure is useful when discussing academic appointments, employment arrangements, property rights, and the conditions under which people or institutions retain their positions.
nounThe status or condition of holding an office, position, or property, especially a university or research post granted on a continuing basis. It can also refer to the period during which such a position or right is held.
- In academic employment, the status of holding a university or research position that is expected to continue, typically subject to review and departmental needs.
- The period during which an office, position, or right of possession is held.
- The right to occupy or use property, especially under a lease.
"After years on the tenure track, she was awarded a permanent position at the university."
"The committee awarded tenure to three members of the faculty."
"Her tenure as chair of the department lasted for more than a decade."
The plural is used when referring to separate academic appointments, positions, or periods of holding office.
"The university has awarded tenures to several researchers this year."
Tenure comes from the Latin tenere, “to hold,” so the word’s core idea is the privilege of keeping your place.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tenure come from?
Tenure derives from Latin tenere, meaning “to hold” or “to keep.” It developed through Latin and French forms associated with a holding, possession, or the right to retain something. Related English words include tenant, tenacious, tenet, and tendency, all reflecting the same broad root idea of holding or keeping.
Related word forms
How tenure is actually used
The word is most strongly associated with academic employment in modern usage, where it generally denotes a permanent position rather than a fixed-term contract. It can also have a formal legal meaning concerning the holding of property or an office. In non-rhotic British English, the final -r is usually not pronounced.
Easily confused with tenure
Tenure is the status or period of holding a position or right, whereas a tenant is a person who rents and occupies property.