Apperteynen

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To belong to, or to relate as a natural part of, something such as a right, duty, or property
2. Describing something that is connected to or forms a rightful part of a particular person, thing, or role
3. Pertaining to or being attached to something as a proper feature, possession, or responsibility

Etymology: "Apperteynen" is a Middle English verb meaning "to belong," and it is the form Chaucer and his contemporaries used. It comes from Old French "apartenir," which combined "a-" (from Latin "ad," "to") with "partenir" (from Latin "pertinere," "to pertain," literally "to reach as far as" or "to hold/extend to"). English borrowed the Anglo-Norman root and built the verb on it, so the sense of belonging grows out of the idea of something extending to or reaching a person or thing. The spelling shows the French influence clearly. The "-ir" ending of the French verb was replaced by the English "-en" ending that marked verbs in Middle English, and the "pp" and "y" reflect Middle English scribal habits rather than any change in meaning. Over the following centuries the spelling and ending were simplified, and the verb became the modern "appertain."