Rentals

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Things offered for short-term use in exchange for payment ; periodic sums paid to lease property or equipment
2. Objects supplied temporarily to customers who pay for their use ; regular charges made to occupy or use real estate or goods
3. Items that can be borrowed for a limited time usually for money ; recurring fees for the right to use or occupy something

Etymology: "Rentals" is the plural of "rental," which is simply "rent" with the suffix "-al" added. That suffix comes from Latin "-ālis," meaning "pertaining to," which passed into Old French as "-el" and then into Middle English as "-al." So a rental is literally something that pertains to rent: a payment, or the thing a payment buys. The plural form reflects the word's two senses. One is the physical goods themselves, such as cars, tools, or costumes lent out for a fee. The other is the recurring charges for occupying property or goods, as in the monthly sums a landlord collects. Both senses grow from the same root, since the rented item and the rent paid for it are two sides of one transaction.

Synonyms: leases, tenancies, hires, rents, lettings