appertain

A1P3P3E1R1T1A1I1N1
US/ˌæpɚˈteɪn/

verb

To belong to or be a part of, whether by right, nature, appointment, or custom; to relate to.

“Another issue that appertains to the policy under discussion.”

Similar
Opposite
be irrelevant
RareScrabble 13

Meanings

verbappertain (third-person singular simple present appertains, present participle appertaining, simple past and past participle appertained)

present singular third person appertains · participle present appertaining · participle past appertained · past appertained

  1. To belong to or be a part of, whether by right, nature, appointment, or custom; to relate to.

    Another issue that appertains to the policy under discussion.

    1 more example

    McInnis reached down and gently raised the old man's head to face him. "Edwin Falkirk, I hereby relieve you of the Directorship of Site-43 under my authority as Administrator of the SCP Foundation. Your security clearance credentials will be revoked in full, and all privileges appertaining to your position are rescinded."

    2023 October 8, HarryBlank, “Taking the Lead”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 26 May 2024
  2. To belong as a part, right, possession, attribute, etc.

    Also the rule of false position, with dyuers examples not onely vulgar, but some appertaynyng to the rule of Algeber.

    1551, James A.H. Murray, editor, A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles: Founded Mainly on the Materials Collected by the Philological Society., volume 1, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1888, Part 1, page 217
    1 more example

    In this great stretch of country there is no sign of life, nor of anything appertaining to life. There is no bird in the steel-blue heaven, no movement upon the dull, grey earth—above all, there is absolute silence. Listen as one may, there is no shadow of a sound in all that mighty wilderness; nothing but silence—complete and heart-subduing silence.

    1886, Arthur Conan Doyle, “On the Great Alkali Plain”, in A Study in Scarlet, New York: D. Appleton and Company, published 1902, The Country of the Saints, page 115

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
Opposite
be irrelevant

verbbe a part or attribute of

Similar
Broader
belong tobelong
Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinpertinēre“to reach to, belong”
  2. Late Latinappertinēre
  3. Old Frenchapartenir
  4. Middle Englishapperteinen
  5. Englishappertain

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.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish kuulua
  • kuuluato belong to or be a part of, whether by right, nature, appointment, or custom
French appartenir
  • appartenirto belong to or be a part of, whether by right, nature, appointment, or custom
Hungarian tartozik
  • tartozikto belong to or be a part of, whether by right, nature, appointment, or custom
Polish należeć, przysługiwać
  • należećto belong to or be a part of, whether by right, nature, appointment, or custom
  • przysługiwaćto belong to or be a part of, whether by right, nature, appointment, or custom
  • odnosić sięto relate to
  • odnieść sięto relate to
Portuguese pertencer a
  • pertencer ato belong to or be a part of, whether by right, nature, appointment, or custom
Russian принадлежа́ть, относи́ться
  • принадлежа́ть (prinadležátʹ)to belong to or be a part of, whether by right, nature, appointment, or custom
  • относи́ться (otnosítʹsja)to belong to or be a part of, whether by right, nature, appointment, or custom

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with appertain

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

appertain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/appertain

MLA

“appertain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/appertain. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “appertain,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/appertain.

Source: appertain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.