Pertinent

How to spell pertinent

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce pertinent

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does pertinent mean?

1. adjectiveDirectly relevant to the matter under consideration.

Pertinent in a sentence

• The lawyer asked only pertinent questions during the hearing.

• Please attach any pertinent documents to your application.

Where does pertinent come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin pertinere, a verb meaning 'to relate to' or 'to concern', built from per-, meaning 'thoroughly' or 'through', and tenere, meaning 'to hold'. The literal idea was of something that reaches through and holds onto a matter, in other words something that genuinely bears on it. English took the word from Anglo-French and Old French pertinent during the 1300s, already carrying the sense of 'relevant' or 'to the point'. The same tenere root underlies a large family of familiar English words such as 'tenant', 'tenure', 'retain', and the closely related 'pertain', which is helpful to remember because it explains the 't' that follows the 'per'. The spelling trap lies in the two unstressed vowels after the stressed first syllable, both reduced to a faint schwa, which tempts writers toward 'pertinant' rather than the correct 'pertinent'.

How the word is built

• per- (thoroughly)
• tin (from Latin tenere, to hold)
• -ent (adjective suffix)