English
pertinency
Pertinency comes from Latin pertineō ‘to belong, relate, pertain, have concern’, from teneō ‘to hold’, 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‘to hold’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpertineō3‘to belong, relate, pertain, have concern’
- Englishearliest quotation 1692pertinency3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin teneo
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin pertineo
- 3 Wiktionary, English pertinency
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1692, Richard Bentley, London: [Thomas Parkhurst; Henry Mortlock]: “The fitness and pertinency of the apostle's discourse.”.
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 pertineo‘to hold’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpertineōWiktionary, English pertinency‘to belong, relate, pertain, have concern’
- Englishearliest quotation 1692pertinencyWiktionary, English pertinency. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1692, Richard Bentley, London: [Thomas Parkhurst; Henry Mortlock]: “The fitness and pertinency of the apostle's discourse.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, draw’
tight, ton, tone, obtain, maintenance, entertainment, tune, tender, tonic, tendon, tenacious, pristine, tetanus, countenance, tantra, hypotenuse, tendinitis, retentive, maintainer, impertinent, 62 more
through Proto-Italic *tenēō ‘to hold’
container, incontinent, 18 more
through Latin teneō ‘to hold’
content, continue, contain, tennis, retain, continuous, sustain, detention, tenant, retention, continent, tenor, rein, continuum, detain, tenacity, abstain, sustenance, tenet, tenement, abstinence, retinue, incontinence, abstention, tenable, abstinent, continence, 20 more
through Latin pertineō ‘to belong, relate, pertain, have concern’
Today it means
noun The quality of being pertinent to the matter at hand; relevance.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “pertinency”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin teneo, Latin pertineo. 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- / pertinency