Pertaining

How to spell pertaining

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce pertaining

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does pertaining mean?

1. verbRelating to or being relevant to a particular subject or matter.

Pertaining in a sentence

• The lawyer requested all documents pertaining to the property dispute.

• The auditor reviewed every receipt pertaining to the travel budget.

Where does pertaining come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin verb pertinere, which literally meant 'to hold through' or 'to reach to', built from the prefix per- ('thoroughly, completely') and tenere ('to hold'). In Latin it developed the sense of belonging to or being connected with something, the idea that one thing reaches across to another. English took it through Old French pertenir during the 1300s, keeping the meaning of relating to or being relevant to a matter. The same tenere root sits inside a large family of English words, including 'retain', 'contain', 'maintain' and 'tenant', which is a useful memory anchor for the 'tain' spelling rather than 'tane'. The present participle 'pertaining' is now most at home in formal and legal writing, where it introduces the documents or facts relevant to a case.

How the word is built

• per- (thoroughly)
• tain (from Latin tenere: to hold)
• -ing (present participle suffix)