pertain

verb

per·​tain pər-ˈtān How to pronounce pertain (audio)
pertained; pertaining; pertains

intransitive verb

1
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
b
: to be appropriate to something
which rule pertains?
2
: 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 among the 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 The investigation pertained to the self-driving system's partial driving automation, as announced by the NHTSA. Rey Covarrubias Jr., The Arizona Republic, 20 Oct. 2024 The second part of D.E. Shaw’s campaign pertains to corporate governance, in particular, succession planning for CEO Seifi Ghasemi. Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2024 The new rule pertains to two federal statutes passed decades ago to protect people with disabilities on multiple fronts. Sarah Szilagy, Them, 16 Oct. 2024 Mowry shut down those assumptions, clarifying that the comments pertained to physical distance. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pertain 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pertain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

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Dictionary Entries Near pertain

Cite this Entry

“Pertain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pertain. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

pertain

verb
per·​tain pər-ˈtān How to pronounce pertain (audio)
1
: to belong to a person or thing as a part, quality, or function
duties that pertain to an office
2
: to have reference
books pertaining to birds

More from Merriam-Webster on pertain

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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