pertain

verb

per·tain pər-ˈtān

pertained; pertaining; pertains

Synonyms of pertain

intransitive verb

a(1)

: to belong as a part, member, accessory, or product

(2)

: to belong as an attribute, feature, or function

the destruction pertaining to war

(3)

: to belong as a duty or right

rights that pertain to fatherhood

: to be appropriate to something

which rule pertains?

: to have reference

books pertaining to birds

Did you know?

Pertain comes to English via Anglo-French from the Latin verb pertinēre, meaning "to reach to" or "to belong." Pertinēre, in turn, was formed by combining the prefix per- (meaning "through") and tenēre ("to hold"). Tenēre is a popular root in English words and often manifests with the -tain spelling that can be seen in pertain. Other descendants include abstain, contain, detain, maintain, obtain, retain, and sustain, to name a few of the more common ones. Not every -tain word has tenēre in its ancestry, though. Ascertain, attain, and certain are certainly exceptions. And a few tenēre words don't follow the usual pattern: tenacious and tenure are two.

Examples of pertain in a Sentence

books pertaining to the country's history the belief that quality medical care is a right that pertains to everyone

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

As previously reported, the release of the files pertaining to the death of Kennedy — who was fatally shot during a Dallas motorcade in November 1963 — was teased during Trump's first term, before former President Joe Biden took limited action by releasing some. —Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025 In addition to his order pertaining to trans student athletes, Trump signed an order proclaiming that the government will recognize only two unchangeable sexes. —Jo Yurcaba, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2025 Trump announced Monday that his administration was planning to release 80,000 unredacted files pertaining to JFK’s assassination on Tuesday. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2025 Ansar Allah's leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, announced last week the group would resume attacks after Israel began to cut off aid to Gaza over disagreements pertaining to the progress of their truce. —David Faris, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pertain

Word History

Etymology

Middle English perteinen, from Anglo-French partenir, purteiner, from Latin pertinēre to reach to, belong, from per- through + tenēre to hold — more at thin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Time Traveler

The first known use of pertain was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century