Definitions for attributeəˈtrɪb yut; ˈæ trəˌbyut

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Random House Webster's College Dictionary

at•trib•ute*əˈtrɪb yut; ˈæ trəˌbyut(v.; n.)-ut•ed, -ut•ing

  1. (v.t.)to regard as resulting from a specified cause:

    She attributes his bad temper to ill health.

  2. to consider as a quality or characteristic of the person, thing, group, etc., indicated:

    to attribute intelligence to one's colleagues.

  3. to regard as made or produced by or originating in the person, time, place, etc., indicated:

    to attribute a painting to an artist.

  4. (n.)a quality, character, characteristic, or property attributed as belonging to a person, thing, group, etc.

  5. an object associated with a character, office, or quality, as the lion skin of Hercules.

    Category: Fine Arts

  6. a subordinate word or phrase that serves to limit, particularize, or supplement the meaning of another: In the red house, red is an attribute of

    house.

    Category: Grammar

* Syn: attribute , ascribe , impute mean to assign something to a definite cause or source. Possibly because of an association with tribute, attribute often has a complimentary connotation: to attribute one's success to a friend's encouragement.ascribe is used in a similar sense, but has a neutral implication: to ascribe an accident to carelessness.impute usu. means to attribute something dishonest or discreditable to a person; it implies blame or accusation: to impute an error to a new employee. See also quality.

Origin of attribute:

1350–1400; ME < L attribūtus, ptp. of attribuere to allot, assign, attribute

at•trib′ut•er(n.)

at•trib′u•tor(n.)

Princeton's WordNet

  1. property, attribute, dimension(noun)

    a construct whereby objects or individuals can be distinguished

    "self-confidence is not an endearing property"

  2. attribute(verb)

    an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of an entity

  3. impute, ascribe, assign, attribute(verb)

    attribute or credit to

    "We attributed this quotation to Shakespeare"; "People impute great cleverness to cats"

  4. assign, attribute(verb)

    decide as to where something belongs in a scheme

    "The biologist assigned the mushroom to the proper class"

Wiktionary

  1. attribute(Noun)

    A characteristic or quality of a thing.

    His finest attribute is his kindness.

  2. attribute(Noun)

    A word that qualifies a noun.

    In the clause "My jacket is more expensive than yours", "My" is the attribute of "jacket".

  3. attribute(Noun)

    The applicable option selection; a variable or a value.

    This packet has its coherency attribute set to zero.

  4. attribute(Noun)

    That which is predicated or affirmed of a subject; a predicate; an accident.

  5. attribute(Noun)

    A semantic item with which a method, etc. may be decorated.

    There are some more implementations which use C# attributes to define custom attributes specific to the AOP engine. Then the classes that need to be intercepted will be decorated with these custom attributes.

  6. attribute(Verb)

    To ascribe (something) to a given cause, reason etc.

  7. attribute(Verb)

    To associate ownership or authorship of (something) to someone.

    This poem is attributed to Browning.

  8. Origin: From attributus past participle of attribuere.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Attribute(verb)

    to ascribe; to consider (something) as due or appropriate (to); to refer, as an effect to a cause; to impute; to assign; to consider as belonging (to)

  2. Attribute(noun)

    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

  3. Attribute(noun)

    reputation

  4. Attribute(noun)

    a conventional symbol of office, character, or identity, added to any particular figure; as, a club is the attribute of Hercules

  5. Attribute(noun)

    quality, etc., denoted by an attributive; an attributive adjunct or adjective


Translations for attribute

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary

attribute(verb)

to think of as being written, made etc by

The play is attributed to Shakespeare.

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