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Pertain comes to English 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, maintain, obtain, 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 certainly exceptions. And a few tenēre words don't follow the usual pattern: tenacious and tenure are two.
Examples of pertain in a Sentence
Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 31 Oct. 2025
Other details in the filing presumably pertain to the overdose death of Akira Stein, daughter of Blondie member Chris Stein.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
For instance, given the growing popularity of ride-share services in large cities, RA & Associates has plans in place to be able to represent clients involved in accidents pertaining to ride-share vehicles.
—Ethan Stone, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
The ordinance also includes provisions pertaining to parking, yielding to pedestrians and equestrians, and a prohibition in playgrounds, parks and school grounds not designated as a bicycle path or route.
—Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Pertain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pertain. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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pertain
verb
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