Tenantable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Suitable for occupation or habitation by a renter, meeting basic standards of safety and livability
2. Being appropriate for leasing or residing in, this term denotes compliance with essential criteria for safety and comfort
3. This concept refers to conditions favorable for tenancy, ensuring sufficient standards for living and welfare

Etymology: "Tenantable" is a plain formation: the noun "tenant" with the suffix "-able" attached, meaning "able to be tenanted," or in practice, fit for a tenant to occupy. The suffix has a longer pedigree than the English word it sits on. It descends from Latin "-bilis" (and the extended form "-ābilis"), which passed into Old French as "-able" and came into Middle English in that form. English then used the ending freely to build new adjectives from existing words. "Tenant" itself comes from Old French "tenant," the present participle of "tenir," "to hold." A tenant, in other words, is literally one who holds something, and the notion of holding land or a dwelling is what the word has carried since it entered English. So "tenantable" joins two strands: a Latin-derived ending that signals capability, and a French-derived noun about holding property.

Synonyms: habitable, livable, inhabitable

Antonyms: uninhabitable, derelict