Main Entry:

per·tain

Pronunciation:

\pər-ˈtān\

Function:

intransitive verb

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

Date:

14th century

1 a (1): to belong as a part, member, accessory, or product (2): to belong as an attribute, feature, or function <the destruction and havoc pertaining to war> (3): to belong as a duty or right <responsibilities that pertain to fatherhood> b: to be appropriate to something <the criteria…will be different from those that pertain elsewhere — J. B. Conant>2: to have reference <books pertaining to birds>