Word of the Day - 05/31/26
pertinence
/ˈpɜːrtɪnəns/(n.): he quality or state of being directly related, applicable, or highly appropriate to the matter at hand
The lawyer argued for the pertinence of the new evidence, as it directly related to the defendant's motive.
Word Origin
The word 'pertinence' originates from the Old French 'pertinence' or 'pertinent', which itself comes from the Latin 'pertinentem', the present participle of 'pertinere'. The Latin verb 'pertinere' means 'to reach to', 'to belong to', or 'to relate to'. It is composed of 'per-' meaning 'through' or 'thoroughly', and 'tenere' meaning 'to hold'. Thus, 'pertinence' refers to the quality of being relevant or connected to a subject, literally 'holding through' or 'pertaining to'.
Many English words share roots with 'pertinence'. Words derived from the Latin 'tenere' ('to hold') include 'contain', 'detain', 'maintain', 'retain', 'sustain', 'tenacious', and 'tenant'. The prefix 'per-' appears in words like 'perceive', 'perform', and 'persuade'. The adjective 'pertinent' is the direct root from which 'pertinence' is formed.
As a reminder, here are all of the words from this week:
disquisition parlance jargon
pertinence
See if you can remember all of this week's words! Here is a sentence that includes all seven, followed by a version that simplifies them to help you remember:
The scientist's jejune disquisition on the gastrolith's composition struggled to hold the audience's attention, especially when he used obscure jargon in his parlance, failing to convey the portmanteau's pertinence to the study of ancient digestion.The scientist's boring discussion on the stomach stone's composition struggled to hold the audience's attention, especially when he used obscure technical language in his speech, failing to convey the combined term's relevance to the study of ancient digestion.