TENURE

A right of holding or occupying land or a position for a certain amount of time. The term was first used in the English feudal land system , whereby all land belonged to the king but was lent out to lords for a certain period of time; the lord never owning, but having tenure in the land. Used in modern law mostly to refer to a position a person occupies such as in the expression "a judge holds tenure for life and on good behavior."