English
appurtenance
Appurtenance comes from Anglo-Norman apurtenance, from Latin appertineō ‘to belong, to appertain’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, draw’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-1‘to stretch, draw’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēō1‘to hold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneō2‘hold’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpertineō2‘belong, pertain’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEappertineō3‘to belong, to appertain’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400apurtenance3
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500appurtenaunce3
- Englishearliest quotation 1693appurtenance3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin teneo
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin appertineo
- 3 Wiktionary, English appurtenance
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1693, William Congreve, The Old Batchelour: “Araminta, come I'll talk ſeriouſly to you now, could…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-Wiktionary, Latin teneo‘to stretch, draw’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēōWiktionary, Latin teneo‘to hold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneōWiktionary, Latin appertineo‘hold’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpertineōWiktionary, Latin appertineo‘belong, pertain’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEappertineōWiktionary, English appurtenance‘to belong, to appertain’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400apurtenanceWiktionary, English appurtenance
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500appurtenaunceWiktionary, English appurtenance
- Englishearliest quotation 1693appurtenanceWiktionary, English appurtenance. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1693, William Congreve, The Old Batchelour: “Araminta, come I'll talk ſeriouſly to you now, could…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, draw’
tight, tone, obtain, ton, tune, entertainment, maintenance, tender, tonic, pristine, pertinent, tendon, tenacious, tetanus, tantra, maintainer, countenance, tendinitis, retentive, hypotenuse, 62 more
through Proto-Italic *tenēō ‘to hold’
container, incontinent, 18 more
through Latin teneō ‘hold’
continue, content, contain, continuous, retain, tennis, continent, sustain, detention, retention, continuum, rein, detain, tenant, tenor, abstain, abstinence, tenacity, tenet, retinue, tenement, incontinence, sustenance, abstention, tenable, abstinent, continence, 20 more
through Latin pertineō ‘belong, pertain’
Today it means
noun That which appertains to something else; a belonging, accompaniment, adjunct, appendage, attribute, or accessory ; an addition.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “appurtenance”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin teneo, Latin appertineo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ten- / appurtenance