Make Your Point > Archived Issues > APPERTAIN & APPURTENANCES
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pronounce
APPERTAIN:
Say it "app ur TANE."
To hear it, click here.
pronounce
APPURTENANCES:
Say it "uh PUR tuh nunts uz."
To hear it, click here.
connect these words to others:
First, let's file the word appertain next to other verbs that are cold, impersonal, and businesslike, such as
1) __ped___: "to make something happen quicker;"
2) ___pens___: "to make up for, often by paying;" and
3) __muner___: "to pay someone for the work they did."
Can you recall those?
Next, don't you love how appertain has a really weird-looking noun cousin, appurtenance? They don't even look very related! The same goes for the verb retain and its related adjective re_______ ("good at keeping things inside, or good at remembering things"). They just look so dissimilar. When we look at retain and re_______, or at appertain and appurtenances, or abstain and abstention, we're reminded that the Latin tenere, "to hold," often winds up in English words as either "tain" or "ten." And sometimes "tin," like in continent and abstinent. Tenere is so wily!
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definitions:
The word "pertain" has Latin bits that mean "to belong, to be attached," or more literally, "to hold through." When one thing pertains to another, it's linked to it, or it's related to it, or it involves it. Like this: "This issue pertains to us." "This law pertains to voting." "They're asking for any information pertaining to the crime."
As you can see, "pertain" is really formal word.
So is "appertain," which is basically a longer, more formal version of "pertain." (The "ap-" prefix just means "to, toward," so "appertain" has Latin bits that mean "to belong to, to be attached to," or more literally, "to hold through to.")
When something appertains to something else, just like "pertain," it's linked to it, related to it, or involves it.
Turn "appertain" into a noun, and you get "appurtenance," which first meant "something minor that belongs or goes along with something major--often a piece of property, or a right or a privilege." These days, appurtenances are usually accessories or pieces of equipment: the extra bits and pieces that go along with some main thing.
Why do "appertain" and "appurtenances" look so different from each other, despite being based on the same Latin bits? They both traveled to modern English through French and Middle English, and things got weird on the trip.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
"Appertain" is a verb, the intransitive kind: "This appertains to that."
"Appurtenance" is the singular noun, which we hardly ever use, and "appurtenances" is the plural: "We toured the mansion and gawked at all the appurtenances of wealth."
Other forms:
Appertained, appertaining.
There's an adjective, "appurtenant:" "This is appurtenant to that." But it's rare, and the verb is more likely to give you a concise sentence: "This appertains to that."
how to use them:
Let's look first at "appertain."
It's the extra-formal, semi-common word you need when "involve," "relate" and "have to do with" aren't emphatic enough. It helps you sound cold and official, like a faceless corporation or a team of lawyers. Like this: "All employees are forbidden from sharing information appertaining to the Company or its affiliates." (In plain English: "You can't talk about what goes on here.")
You'll often see a phrase like this on a diploma, or on some kind of award: "The University of Such-and-such has conferred upon So-and-so the degree of Such-and-such with all the rights and privileges appertaining thereto." It's a very lofty, scholarly way of referring to the good stuff that comes along with earning the degree or the award. So, it's fun to repurpose that phrase for a laugh--check out the example below from the Philadelphia Flyers plaque.
Next, let's look at "appurtenances."
That's the extra-formal, semi-common word you need when "accessories," "equipment," "trappings," and "doodads" aren't highfalutin enough. You can use it concretely: "They gathered their appurtenances--gloves, hats, poles--and trudged toward the slopes." And you can use it abstractly: "Her speech and manners had all the appurtenances of the deep south."
Lastly, "appurtenances" can be pretty funny when you use it in a mock-serious way, maybe to refer to body parts or physical enhancements: "Thank goodness I stopped wearing those big false eyelashes. They were not exactly the most dignified of appurtenances."
examples:
"To you, brave fan, who courageously stopped a puck without leaving the stands, the Philadelphia Flyers award full membership in the loyal order of the unducked puck, with all the rights and privileges appertaining thereunto."
— Plaque created by the Philadelphia Flyers, as quoted by Dan Gelston, Associated Press, 19 October 2016
"Joni Mitchell's 'River'... advocates skating away from all the holiday's appurtenances, including cut-down trees, reindeer and 'songs of joy and peace.'"
— Louis Bayard, Washington Post, 20 December 2017
has this page helped you understand "appertain" and "appurtenances"?
study them:
Explain the meaning of "appertain" without saying "to be relevant to" or "to apply to."
And, explain the meaning of "appurtenances" without saying "accessories" or "paraphernalia."
try one out:
Fill in the blanks: "(Some extra, unnecessary part) (in, on, for, or with some main thing) is one of those appurtenances I can live without."
Example: "A sun roof in my car is one of those appurtenances I can live without."
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month: It Sounds Wiser in Latin.
Try matching a handful of Latin phrases to their English translations. If you need some clues, I'll provide them in the form of definitions of related words. Enjoy!
Try these today:
1. abstineto a fabis
2. circulus in probando
3. duabus sedere selli
4. ex opere operato
5. frangas, non flectes
A. begging the question (literally, a circle in the proof)
B. by the external act
C. having nothing to do with elections (literally "avoiding beans")
D. to sit between two stools
E. you may break, but you will not bend me
To peek at the clues, follow the links:
1. Something circuitous is...
2. Something frangible is...
3. Something sedulous is...
review this word:
A. POLITE.
B. DELAYED.
C. IRRELEVANT.
2.
A riddle from The Witcher begins: "_____ all things and men I appertain, and yet by some am shunned and disdained."
A. To
B. From
C. With
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
On vocabulary...
36 ways to study words.
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On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
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A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
First, let's file the word appertain next to other verbs that are cold, impersonal, and businesslike, such as
The word "pertain" has Latin bits that mean "to belong, to be attached," or more literally, "to hold through." When one thing pertains to another, it's linked to it, or it's related to it, or it involves it. Like this: "This issue pertains to us." "This law pertains to voting." "They're asking for any information pertaining to the crime."
Part of speech:
Let's look first at "appertain."
"To you, brave fan, who courageously stopped a puck without leaving the stands, the Philadelphia Flyers award full membership in the loyal order of the unducked puck, with all the rights and privileges appertaining thereunto."
Explain the meaning of "appertain" without saying "to be relevant to" or "to apply to."
Fill in the blanks: "(Some extra, unnecessary part) (in, on, for, or with some main thing) is one of those appurtenances I can live without."
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |