Pertinent

Pertinent is an adjective that means relevant or applicable to a particular matter; it describes information, facts, or details that have a direct bearing on the subject under consideration. In everyday and formal contexts, a pertinent point is one that advances understanding or helps resolve an issue, while irrelevant or immaterial details are not pertinent.

The noun form is pertinence, referring to the quality of being pertinent, and the related adverb is pertinently. The word’s etymology traces to Latin pertinens, the present participle of pertinere “to pertain, reach toward,” from per- “through” + tenere “to hold.” English usage dates from the 15th century and has since become common in legal, medical, and scholarly writing.

In legal contexts, the term often describes evidence that is directly related to a matter in issue and thus admissible, as opposed to impertinent or irrelevant materials. In medicine and research, clinicians and scientists use the term to flag findings that matter for diagnosis, treatment, or interpretation, such as pertinent positives or pertinent negatives in patient history.

Compared with synonyms like relevant, applicable, or germane, pertinent implies direct relevance to a specific question or situation, sometimes with a sense of necessity or appropriateness. The term remains useful in formal writing when precise connection to the matter at hand is intended.