from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Pertain \Per*tain"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Pertained}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Pertaining}.] [OE. partenen, OF. partenir, fr. L.
pertinere to stretch out, reach, pertain; per + tenere to
hold, keep. See {Per-}, and {Tenable}, and cf. {Appertain},
{Pertinent}.]
1. To belong; to have connection with, or dependence on,
something, as an appurtenance, attribute, etc.; to
appertain; as, saltness pertains to the ocean; flowers
pertain to plant life.
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Men hate those who affect that honor by ambition
which pertaineth not to them. --Hayward.
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2. To have relation or reference to something.
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These words pertain unto us at this time as they
pertained to them at their time. --Latimer.
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