entry
tenet
/ˈtɛnət/A principle or belief held as unquestionably true
From Latin ten (hold).
from Latin tenet "he holds," third person singular present indicative of tenere "to hold, grasp, keep, have possession,...
+1 more sourcefrom Latin tenet "he holds," third person singular present indicative of tenere "to hold, grasp, keep, have possession,...
+1 more sourcefrom Latin tenet "he holds," third person singular present indicative of tenere "to hold, grasp, keep, have possession,...
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Latin tenet "he holds," third person singular present indicative of tenere "to hold, grasp, keep, have possession,...
+1 more sourcefrom Latin tenet "he holds," third person singular present indicative of tenere "to hold, grasp, keep, have possession,...
+1 more sourcefrom Latin tenet "he holds," third person singular present indicative of tenere "to hold, grasp, keep, have possession,...
+1 more sourcePicture a medieval scholar beginning a formal statement with the Latin word tenet: “he holds.” It was not originally a grand noun at all, but a tiny grammatical verb, announcing that someone held an idea to be true. By the early 15th century, English had adopted it as the name for the idea itself—a principle held firmly in the mind. Its deep ancestor, PIE *ten-, meant “to stretch,” a surprisingly physical image behind words such as tenure, tenant, and tenable: something is held, extended, or kept in place. And no, this ten has nothing to do with the number ten; a tenet is not “a tenth belief,” but a belief you hold tight enough to defend. Remember the picture: a medieval hand gripping an idea and saying, in Latin, “he holds.”
The Story
Picture a medieval scholar beginning a formal statement with the Latin word tenet: “he holds.” It was not originally a grand noun at all, but a tiny grammatical verb, announcing that someone held an idea to be true. By the early 15th century, English had adopted it as the name for the idea itself—a principle held firmly in the mind. Its deep ancestor, PIE *ten-, meant “to stretch,” a surprisingly physical image behind words such as tenure, tenant, and tenable: something is held, extended, or kept in place. And no, this ten has nothing to do with the number ten; a tenet is not “a tenth belief,” but a belief you hold tight enough to defend. Remember the picture: a medieval hand gripping an idea and saying, in Latin, “he holds.”
Modern Usage
A humorous or critical reference to Christopher Nolan’s difficult-to-understand 2020 film Tenet
Popularized by: Christopher Nolan
Notable References
- Tenet (2020 film), written and directed by Christopher Nolan
Kin & Kindred
From 'ten'·hold, maintain, possess
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary