n. 1 a room or a set of rooms forming a separate residence within a house or block of flats. 2 US & Sc. a house divided into and let in tenements. 3 a dwelling-place. 4 a a piece of land held by an owner. b Law any kind of permanent property, e.g. lands or rents, held from a superior. tenement-house US & Sc. = sense 2. tenemental adj. tenementary adj.
[ ME f. OF f. med.L tenementum f. tenere hold ]