tenuit

Tenuit is a Latin verb form, functioning as the third-person singular perfect active indicative of the verb teneo, tenere, meaning to hold or to keep. As a perfect tense, tenuit expresses a completed action in the past and is commonly found in classical Latin texts. Depending on context, it is usually translated as “he held” or, in some narrative contexts, as “he has held.”

The verb tenere belongs to the second conjugation. Its principal parts are teneo, tenere, tenui, tentum. The form tenuit is derived from the perfect stem tenu- plus the ending -it. Other forms in the same conjugation include tenui (I held), tenuisti (you held), tenuimus (we held), tenuistis (you all held), and tenuerunt or tenuerunt (they held). In broader use, tenere yields a variety of tenses and voices, with passive and deponent forms produced from related stems.

Usage notes: tenuit can express tangible holding (holding a physical object) or more abstract retention, such as holding a belief, memory, or obligation, when paired with appropriate objects. It often appears in historical narration, legal or formal prose, and literary texts, contributing to the depiction of past actions, decisions, or custodial states.

Example: Dominus pecuniam tenuit. Translation: The master held the money. In translations, the choice between “held” and “has held” depends on the surrounding frame of reference and period of the text. See also teneo and tenere for related forms and extended usage.