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>