Definition of tenures:
(n) :
A status of having a permanent post with enhanced job security within an academic institution.
(n) :
A status of possessing a thing or an office; an incumbency.
(n) :
A period of time during which something is possessed.
(v) :
(transitive) To grant tenure, the status of having a permanent academic position, to (someone).
(n) :
A right to hold land under the feudal system.