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Tenet holds a centuries-long tenure in the English language, but its hometown is Latin. In that language, tenet is a form of the verb tenēre ("to hold") and means "s/he holds." Tenet was borrowed into English around 1600, probably because of use of the word in Latin writings to introduce text giving a principle or doctrine held by a person or group, such as a particular church or sect. The word’s English use today seems clearly linked: "a principle, belief, or doctrine generally held to be true, and especially one held in common by members of an organization, movement, or profession." Note that the similar-sounding word tenant is also from tenēre; it arrived in the 1300s and typically refers today to someone who rents or leases a house, apartment, etc., from a landlord. (Be careful not to use tenant where you want tenet.) Tenure is a tenēre descendant too.
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Tenets vs. Tenants
Thanks to its confusingly similar pronunciation, tenant (“occupant, land-holder”) is sometimes erroneously used in place of tenet (“principle, doctrine”). Consider this example:
One of the ancient tenants of the Buddist [sic] belief is, “He who sits still, wins” –Police, January/February 1968
You will probably never make the opposite mistake (that is, substitute tenet for tenant), but if you think you might, remember that tenant and occupant both end in -ant.
Examples of tenet in a Sentence
Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024
Music - whether one performs it, unwinds to it, or uses it to bring their community together - happens after a place is developed and has infrastructure rather than a core tenet of the infrastructure itself.
—Shain Shapiro, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
One other policy area that is top of mind for millions of Americans is immigration, one of Trump's central campaign tenets.
—Erin Doherty, Axios, 29 Oct. 2024
Oil and gas production BP’s latest results come shortly after reports emerged the company scrapped its pledge to reduce oil and gas production by 2030, rolling back a core tenet of the firm’s ambition to achieve net zero emissions by the middle of the century — or sooner.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tenet 
Dictionary Entries Near tenet
Cite this Entry
“Tenet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenet. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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tenet
noun
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