Meaning & Definition of word "Attribute"

Attribute

/ˈætrɪˌbjuːt/

1. A quality or feature regarded as a characteristic or inherent part of someone or something.
- Example: Patience is an important attribute for a teacher to possess.
2. A material or abstract property of an object in programming and data structures.
- Example: In the database, each user record has several attributes, including name, age, and email.

1. To regard something as being caused by (someone or something).
- Example: She attributed her success to hard work and perseverance.
2. To assign a quality or characteristic to someone or something.
- Example: The artist is attributed with a unique style that revolutionized modern painting.

●From Latin 'attributus', past participle of 'attribuere', meaning to assign or to attribute.

attribute to:

To regard something as being caused by a particular person or thing.

a key attribute:

An important quality or feature of someone or something.

attribute something to someone:

To say that someone is responsible for something.

characteristic:

A distinguishing quality or trait.

trait:

A distinguishing characteristic or quality, especially of one's personal nature.

feature:

A distinctive attribute or aspect of something.

Meaning: To credit or assign something to someone in a casual way.

● Example Sentence: People often attribute his skills to years of practice.

Meaning: In a humorous context, saying a characteristic is 'native' to a person.

● Example Sentence: He attributes his clumsiness to being 'naturally graceful'.