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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
Hanna Kang, Oc Register, 18 Sep. 2025
That includes government buildings pertaining to the state, federal, city, county and school district, among other government jurisdictions, as well as parklands, hospitals, universities, museums and other major nonprofits.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 16 Sep. 2025
This Story will be updated with any news and updates pertaining to Lindberg’s death.
—Quentin Thane Singer, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
There are also possible legal challenges about state laws pertaining to federal officers.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Pertain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pertain. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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pertain
verb
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