Pertinents

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Relevant and meaningful details or information that directly relate to a specific subject or issue
2. Essential elements that contribute to understanding a particular topic or context
3. Any facts or remarks that hold significance and applicability in relation to a given matter

Etymology: "Pertinents" is the plural of "pertinent," used as a noun for the relevant details or information bearing on a matter. The adjective came into Middle English from Old French "pertinent," which in turn comes from Latin "pertinēns," the present participle of "pertinēre," meaning "to reach to, extend to, or belong to." The Latin verb combined "per-," "through" or "thoroughly," with "tenēre," "to hold," so the core idea is something that stretches all the way to a point and touches it. That physical sense of reaching across a distance is still visible in the modern meaning. Something pertinent is something that reaches the subject at hand and bears directly on it, rather than drifting past it. The noun plural "pertinents" takes that idea and turns it into a collection of such items: the particular facts or points that actually connect to the question being discussed.

Synonyms: relevants, applicables, related, apropos, germane

Antonyms: irrelevants, unrelated, inapplicable, extraneous, immaterial