# landlord

Pronunciation: US say "LAND-lord" /ˈlæn(d).lɔɹd/; UK/AUS say "LAND-lawd" /ˈlænd.lɔːd/

## Noun

1. A person who leases real property to a tenant; a lessor.
   - Simple: A person who owns a building or land and rents it to other people.
   - _The landlord raised the rent when the lease came up for renewal._
   - _City inspectors fined several landlords who let their buildings fall into disrepair._
2. A person who owns a pub or has charge of running it. *(British)*
   - Simple: A person who owns or runs a pub, a place where people buy drinks.
   - _The landlord barred two rowdy customers from the pub after Saturday's match._
   - _After thirty years behind the bar, the landlord finally sold the Red Lion._
3. A shark, imagined as the owner of the surf, whose waters are best avoided. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A shark, which surfers treat as the owner of the waves.
   - _The lineup emptied in seconds when a fin broke the surface. Nobody argues with the landlord._
   - _Locals say the landlord collects his rent at dusk, so they leave the water by five._

## Origin

From Middle English londlord, from Old English landhlāford, which is simply 'land' plus 'lord'. It is related to Scots landlaird and Middle Low German lantlord meaning 'homeowner, landlord'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/landlord (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).