appertain

verb

ap·​per·​tain ˌa-pər-ˈtān 

appertained; appertaining; appertains

intransitive verb

: to belong or be connected as a rightful part or attribute : pertain

Synonyms

• belong
• pertain

Examples of appertain in a Sentence

the rights and privileges that appertain to marriage

the doctrine that the swath of land between the Atlantic and the Pacific naturally appertained to the United States

Recent Examples on the Web

Ah, but a, b, and c above do not appertain to cancer. —John Rosemond, charlotteobserver, 11 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

Middle English apertenen, apartenen, apperteinen "to belong (to) by nature or right, be appropriate (to), have reference (to)," borrowed from Anglo-French appurtenir, appertenir, apartenir "to belong, be fitting" (continental Old French apartenir), going back to Late Latin appertinēre "to belong, be suitable," from Latin ap- ap- + pertinēre "to reach, be directed, pertain"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

appertain

verb

ap·​per·​tain ˌap-ər-ˈtān 

: pertain sense 1