Where does “head tenant” come from?

head tenant (English) comes from English tenant, from Middle English tenaunt, from Anglo-Norman tenaunt, from Old French tenant, from Latin tenens, from Latin teneō, from Proto-Italic tenēō, from Proto-Indo-European ten- — to stretch, to extend.

head tenant (English): The tenant of a headlease, who in turn is landlord to subtenants

Definitions

  1. The tenant of a headlease, who in turn is landlord to subtenants

Ancestry of “head tenant”, step by step

head tenant traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English tenant

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtenantOne who pays a fee in return for the use of...
2Middle Englishtenaunt
3Anglo-NormantenauntAlternative form of tenant; Alternative form of...
4Old Frenchtenantholder
5Latintenensholding, having; restraining; knowing, grasping,...
6Latinteneōto hold, have; to grasp
7Proto-Italictenēōto hold
8Proto-Indo-Europeanten-to stretch, to extend

via English head

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishheadThe part of the body of an animal or human which...
2English-yAdded to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...
3Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
4Old English-iġ-y, -ic
5Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
6Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
7Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ten-Every word from Proto-Italic tenēōEvery word from Latin teneō
head tenant — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer