Definition of "tenure" []

• The act, fact, or condition of holding something in one's possession, as real estate or an office; occupation. (noun)
• A period during which something is held. (noun)
• The status of holding one's position on a permanent basis without periodic contract renewals: a teacher granted tenure on a faculty. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "But if, and I see this as a big if that is yet unestablished, Gonzales was denied tenure **because** of his pro-ID views, **and he was otherwise qualified for tenure** then that is a violation of the principles of academic freedom."
• "According to Webster's Dictionary, the term tenure is defined as:"
• "Other states like Connecticut, New York and Michigan have simply eliminated the word "tenure" from the Latin tenere, meaning to hold or keep from the books while retaining the due-process rights it embodies."