tenet

[ ten-it; British also tee-nit ]

noun

1. any opinion, principle, doctrine, dogma, etc., especially one held as true by members of a profession, group, or movement.

   Synonyms: position, belief

tenet

/ ˈtiːnɪt; ˈtɛnɪt /

noun

1. a belief, opinion, or dogma

Pronunciation Note

The word tenet is often mispronounced as [ten, -, uh, nt], with an extra /n/ sound in the second syllable—exactly like the word tenant (meaning someone who rents and occupies an apartment, office, etc.). It is a mistake made by people across a wide range of educational backgrounds, because it is such a natural one to make: English has thousands of words that end in the unstressed syllable -ant or -ent, such as parent, accident, potent, and relevant. Moreover, the two sounds at the end of all these words—/n/ and /t/—are very easily made together because we pronounce them with the tongue in the same place, touching the upper palate (or roof) of the mouth. The almost identical-sounding and common word tenant makes it all too easy for the extra /n/ to creep into the second syllable of tenet. Another word that is liable to be mispronounced in a similar way, with an extra /n/ in the second syllable, is pundit. No doubt the first /n/ in both tenet and pundit also influences their mispronunciation. And in pundit, the /d/ sound is another one made in the same place as both /n/ and /t/. Talk about piling on!

Word History and Origins

Origin of tenet¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin: “he holds,” 3rd person singular present indicative of tenēre “to hold”; tenant ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of tenet¹

C17: from Latin, literally: he (it) holds, from tenēre to hold

Example Sentences

We try to follow the tenets of popular financial gurus, which shove aside the lived experiences of whole communities.

From Salon

Middleton is endorsed by Planned Parenthood and Reproductive Freedom for All California, and has made abortion rights a key tenet of her campaign for state Senate.

From Los Angeles Times

Choi’s Senate campaign tenets include opposing any new taxes and exposing “wasteful spending” by the state.

From Los Angeles Times

If Luna’s career is driven by a tenet, it’s the belief that the stories he tells matter and that the work demands he be invested in what it can say.

From Los Angeles Times

So if sheriffs choose to selectively apply this, as many do, there is no tenet of law that can require them to do so.

From Salon

Related Words

• assumption
• credo
• creed
• doctrine
• dogma
• faith
• precept
• presumption
• teaching