Word of the Day
March 7, 2024
Tenement
A building for human habitation, especially one rented to multiple tenants; also, a rundown apartment building whose facilities and maintenance barely meet minimum standards.
From Old French 'tenement' meaning 'a holding, a fief,' from Latin 'tenere' meaning 'to hold.' Originally referred to any property held by a tenant.
Usage Examples
- The transit-oriented developments rising along Colorado's urban corridors resemble the Chicago tenements of a bygone era.
- When government policy favors dense rental tenements over single-family homes, property ownership becomes a privilege rather than an aspiration.
- The subsidized housing bill would pack families into high-rise tenements instead of enabling homeownership.
From the Show
Kim connected the concept of tenements to Colorado’s transit-oriented development push on the March 7th broadcast, warning that affordable housing policies are recreating the cramped, government-subsidized living conditions of historic urban tenements.