Definition of pertain
intransitive verb
1a (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 fatherhoodb : 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
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Trump could argue that discussions with Comey pertained to national security and had the expectation of privacy.
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Anglers should pay special attention to rules on the Clearwater pertaining to harvest of jacks, clipped and unclipped fish, and no adult harvest until June 22 to protect returning spring Chinook.
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Anyone with information pertaining to the case is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office’s dispatch center at 530-666-8282.
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The proposed service schedule does not pertain to Metra's Rock Island District, which also services Blue Island.
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In the interim, our Times team has put together a comprehensive look at all things pertaining to the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
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Looking back, Ingemunson said Hastert never asked him to withhold or cover up anything that could have pertained to one of his abuse victims.
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The renovations will ensure that the College of Lake County police department can meet all the state laws and best practices pertaining to prisoner processing, chain of evidence and detention, Guenther said.
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On Thursday, Corker noted that [Rex Tillerson] had also asked him for ‘a short window of opportunity … to change the trajectory of our relationship with Russia’ pertaining to Syria.
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
First Known Use: 14th century
PERTAIN Defined for English Language Learners
pertain
playDefinition of pertain for English Language Learners
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: to relate to someone or something : to have a connection to a person or thing
PERTAIN Defined for Kids
pertain
playDefinition of pertain for Students
pertained
;pertaining
1 : to relate to a person or thing The laws pertain to hunting.
2 : to belong to as a part, quality, or function These duties pertain to the office of sheriff.
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