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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
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2026
The jury transcripts contained evidence pertaining to the involvement of people beyond those present in the white Cadillac, while the documentary includes allegations from high-level executives within Combs’ record label that he was involved in the killing, the complaint states.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
Seven months later, in November, Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which called for the Justice Department to make public all its files pertaining to Epstein.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
Professional Organizations and Prizes While journalism organizations are prevalent for other specialty categories, including those covering education, environment, healthcare, science, and travel, none pertain to the arts overall.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Pertain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pertain. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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pertain
verb
