Base Tenure
Preserved but no longer current.
Originally, tenure not by military ', but by base, service, such as a serf or villein might give: later, a tenure in fee-simple that was determinate on the fulfilment of some contingent qualification.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Base Tenure” mean?
Originally, tenure not by military ', but by base, service, such as a serf or villein might give: later, a tenure in fee-simple that was determinate on the fulfilment of some contingent qualification.
Is “Base Tenure” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.