Etymology

appertain

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Today it means: To belong to or be a part of, whether by right, nature, appointment, or custom; to relate to. Full definition →

Middle English apperteinen ← Old French apartenir ← Late Latin appertinēre
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The story

  1. Latin · derived frompertinēre“to reach to, belong”
  2. Late Latin · derived fromappertinēre
  3. Old French · derived fromapartenir
  4. Middle English · inherited fromapperteinen
  5. English todayappertain

From Middle English apperteinen, apertenen, borrowed from Old French apartenir (French appartenir), from Late Latin appertinēre, from ad (“to”) + Latin pertinēre (“to reach to, belong”). More at pertain.

Words from the same roots

Latinpertinēre all →

pertinacy

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.