attribute

attribute
I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Latin attributus, past participle of attribuere to attribute, from ad- + tribuere to bestow — more at tribute Date: 14th century 1. an inherent characteristic; also an accidental quality 2. an object closely associated with or belonging to a specific person, thing, or office <
a scepter is the attribute of power
>
; especially such an object used for identification in painting or sculpture 3. a word ascribing a quality; especially adjective Synonyms: see quality II. transitive verb (-uted; -uting) Date: 1530 1. to explain by indicating a cause <
attributed his success to his coach
>
2. a. to regard as a characteristic of a person or thing b. to reckon as made or originated in an indicated fashion <
attributed the invention to a Russian
>
c. classify, designate Synonyms: see ascribeattributable adjective

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • attribute — at‧tri‧bute [ˈætrɪbjuːt] noun [countable] 1. MARKETING a characteristic, feature, or quality of a product: • In selling cars, product quality and product attributes are complex. 2. STATISTICS a quality that people in a group either have or do not …   Financial and business terms

  • Attribute — At tri*bute, n. [L. attributum.] 1. That which is attributed; a quality which is considered as belonging to, or inherent in, a person or thing; an essential or necessary property or characteristic. [1913 Webster] But mercy is above this sceptered …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • attribute — I verb accredit with, adsignare, ascribe, assign, charge with, connect with, consider as belonging to, impute, point to, predicate, set down to, tribuere associated concepts: attribute a cause to an individual II index ascribe …   Law dictionary

  • Attribute — At*trib ute ([a^]t tr[i^]*b[=u]t), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Attributed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Attributing}.] [L. attributus, p. p. of attribuere; ad + tribuere to bestow. See {Tribute}.] To ascribe; to consider (something) as due or appropriate (to); to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Attribute — sind überhaupt alle, einer Person oder Sache beigelegten Eigenschaften. In der bildenden Kunst ist Attribut fast gleichbedeutend mit Symbol (s. d. Art.) oder Sinnbild. Die Attribute sind zweifacher Natur: wesentliche und willkürliche. Die Fackel… …   Damen Conversations Lexikon

  • attribute — n 1 *quality, property, character, accident 2 emblem, *symbol, type Analogous words: *sign, mark, token, badge, note: *character, symbol, sign attribute …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • attribute — [n] feature aspect, character, characteristic, facet, idiosyncrasy, indication, mark, note, particularity, peculiarity, point, property, quality, quirk, sign, speciality, symbol, trait, virtue; concepts 411,673,834 attribute [v] ascribe, assign… …   New thesaurus

  • attribute — ► VERB (attribute to) ▪ regard as belonging to or being caused by. ► NOUN 1) a characteristic or inherent quality or feature. 2) an object that represents a person, status, or office. DERIVATIVES attributable adjective attribution noun …   English terms dictionary

  • attribute — [ə trib′yo͞ot; ] for n. [ a′trə byo͞ot΄] vt. attributed, attributing [< L attributus, pp. of attribuere, to assign < ad , to + tribuere, to assign < tribus: see TRIBE] 1. to set down or think of as belonging to, produced by, resulting… …   English World dictionary

  • attribute to — index blame Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • attribute to — attribute (something) to (someone) to say that someone else was responsible for creating something. Any quotation included in your writing has to be attributed to the person who originally wrote it. Usage notes: usually said about a piece of… …   New idioms dictionary

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