PERTAIN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does pertain mean? 

• PERTAIN (verb)
  The verb PERTAIN has 2 senses:

1. be relevant to

2. be a part or attribute of

  Familiarity information: PERTAIN used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PERTAIN (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they pertain    ... he / she / it pertains   
Past simple: pertained   
Past participle: pertained   
-ing form: pertaining   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be relevant to

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

bear on; come to; concern; have to do with; pertain; refer; relate; touch; touch on

Context example:

My remark pertained to your earlier comments

Verb group:

advert; allude; touch (make a more or less disguised reference to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pertain"):

center; center on; concentrate on; focus on; revolve about; revolve around (center upon)

apply; go for; hold (be pertinent or relevant or applicable)

affect; involve; regard (connect closely and often incriminatingly)

interest; matter to (be of importance or consequence)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

pertinence; pertinency (relevance by virtue of being applicable to the matter at hand)

pertinent (being of striking appropriateness and pertinence)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be a part or attribute of

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

appertain; pertain

Hypernyms (to "pertain" is one way to...):

belong; belong to (be a part or adjunct)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s to somebody

Derivation:

pertinent (having precise or logical relevance to the matter at hand)

 Context examples 

Pertaining to a portion of the whole; any one of two or more samples of something, of the same volume or weight.

(Aliquot, NCI Thesaurus)

A clinical finding about one or more characteristics of mucosal melanoma of the head and neck, following the rules of the TNM AJCC v7 classification system as they pertain to distant metastases.

(Mucosal Melanoma of the Head and Neck Clinical Distant Metastasis TNM Finding v7, NCI Thesaurus)

A clinical finding about one or more characteristics of appendiceal carcinoid, following the rules of the TNM AJCC v7 classification system as they pertain to distant metastases.

(Appendiceal Carcinoid Clinical Distant Metastasis TNM Finding v7, NCI Thesaurus)

Pertaining to, caused by, affected with or of the nature of allergy.

(Allergic, NCI Thesaurus)

Pertaining to or characterized by cognition.

(Alteration Of Cognitive Function, Food and Drug Administration)

A sequential arrangement of information pertaining to the evolution of an individual's cognitive development.

(Mental Development Index, NCI Thesaurus)

Pertaining to or characterized by metaplasia.

(Metaplastic, NCI Thesaurus)

Arising from, pertaining to, or having many locations.

(Multifocal, NCI Thesaurus)

Pertaining to the muscles and skeleton.

(Musculoskeletal, NCI Thesaurus)

Of or pertaining to the myocardium.

(Myocardial, NCI Thesaurus)