English/Spanish Cognate of the Day *BONU$ Edition*

English

tenuous adj.- weak; fragile

Spanish

tenue

English

tenure n.- the holding of an office

tenure v.- to give someone permanent post (especially teacher/professor)

Spanish

tenencia

Etymology

The Latin word is from PIE root *ten- “to stretch” (cognates: Sanskrit tantram “loom,” tanoti “stretches, lasts;” Persian tar “string;” Lithuanian tankus “compact,” i.e. “tightened;” Greek teinein “to stretch,” tasis “a stretching, tension,” tenos “sinew,” tetanos “stiff, rigid,” tonos “string,” hence “sound, pitch;” Latin tendere “to stretch,”tenuis “thin, rare, fine;” Old Church Slavonic tento “cord;” Old English þynne “thin”). Connecting notion between “stretch” and “hold” is “cause to maintain.”

The Latin root *ten-  therefore can apply to tenuous (thin i.e weak) AND tenure because it is lasts & is held

etymology sourced from this awesome site