pertain

verb per·tain \ pər-ˈtān \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

Definition of pertain

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

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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 of pertain from the Web

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been a strong advocate against marijuana legalization, but has also said his office won't devote time to enforcing small infractions of federal laws pertaining to marijuana.

— kathryn watson, CBS News, "Ex-speaker John Boehner, critic of marijuana legalization, joins pot board," 11 Apr. 2018
Also, the development agreement just approved only pertains to the two city parcels, but they are separated, one on the north side of the area and one on the south.

— jane ford-stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Crime lab, offices most likely for Loomis Crossing in Greenfield, developer said," 9 Apr. 2018
Entrants agree to be bound by the terms of these Official Rules and by the decisions of Sponsor, which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this Promotion.

— Popular Mechanics, "Popular Mechanics & Danner Sweepstakes," 5 Mar. 2018
Settlement documents are currently shared in the discovery process of a trial, but are barred by a law pertaining to civil proceedings from being used as evidence.

— sarah bowman, Indianapolis Star, "'Tragic consequences': new bill could rob asbestos disease victims of rights to seek justice," 25 Feb. 2018
Most of the items on the list pertained to the baby's needs.

— jim riccioli, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Jailed Waukesha man comes to home to find items missing," 15 Mar. 2018
This breaks federal law that pertains to communication between government agencies and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, DOJ officials said.

— marilyn icsman, USA TODAY, "Justice Department will sue California over three 'sanctuary state' laws," 6 Mar. 2018
Entrants agree to be bound by the terms of these Official Rules and by the decisions of Sponsor, which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this Promotion.

— Popular Mechanics, "Popular Mechanics & Danner Sweepstakes," 5 Mar. 2018
Carradine was forthcoming, however, on one issue that pertains to the latest episode of his show: the recent statements by a number of prominent psychiatrists that question Trump's mental fitness for office.

— chris eggertsen, The Hollywood Reporter, "Inside 'Madam Secretary's' Trump-Like Impeachment Episode," 15 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pertain.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Pertain comes to us 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, obtain, maintain, 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.

Origin and Etymology of pertain

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

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