appertain

verb

ap·per·tain ˌa-pər-ˈtān

appertained; appertaining; appertains

Synonyms of appertain next

intransitive verb

: to belong or be connected as a rightful part or attribute : pertain

Examples of appertain in a Sentence

the rights and privileges that appertain to marriage the doctrine that the swath of land between the Atlantic and the Pacific naturally appertained to the United States

Recent Examples on the Web Ah, but a, b, and c above do not appertain to cancer. —

John Rosemond, charlotteobserver, 11 May 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'appertain.' 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 apperteinen, from Anglo-French apurtenir, from Late Latin appertinēre, from Latin ad- + pertinēre to belong — more at pertain

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

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

See more words from the same century