Library / English Dictionary

ATTRIBUTE

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

An abstraction belonging to or characteristic of an entity

Classified under:

Nouns with no superordinates

Hypernyms ("attribute" is a kind of...):

abstract entity; abstraction (a general concept formed by extracting common features from specific examples)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "attribute"):

depth (the attribute or quality of being deep, strong, or intense)

heritage; inheritance (any attribute or immaterial possession that is inherited from ancestors)

property (a basic or essential attribute shared by all members of a class)

quality (an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone)

eidos ((anthropology) the distinctive expression of the cognitive or intellectual character of a culture or a social group)

ethos ((anthropology) the distinctive spirit of a culture or an era)

ballast (an attribute that tends to give stability in character and morals; something that steadies the mind or feelings)

uncheerfulness (not conducive to cheer or good spirits)

cheer; cheerfulness; sunniness; sunshine (the quality of being cheerful and dispelling gloom)

personality (the complex of all the attributes--behavioral, temperamental, emotional and mental--that characterize a unique individual)

common denominator (an attribute that is common to all members of a category)

thing (any attribute or quality considered as having its own existence)

character ((genetics) an attribute (structural or functional) that is determined by a gene or group of genes)

trait (a distinguishing feature of your personal nature)

human nature (the shared psychological attributes of humankind that are assumed to be shared by all human beings)

infinite; space (the unlimited expanse in which everything is located)

time (the continuum of experience in which events pass from the future through the present to the past)

form; shape (the spatial arrangement of something as distinct from its substance)

state (the way something is with respect to its main attributes)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A construct whereby objects or individuals can be distinguished

Example:

self-confidence is not an endearing property

Synonyms:

attribute; dimension; property

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("attribute" is a kind of...):

concept; conception; construct (an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "attribute"):

feature; feature of speech ((linguistics) a distinctive characteristic of a linguistic unit that serves to distinguish it from other units of the same kind)

characteristic; feature (a prominent attribute or aspect of something)

character; lineament; quality (a characteristic property that defines the apparent individual nature of something)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Attribute or credit to

Example:

People impute great cleverness to cats

Synonyms:

ascribe; assign; attribute; impute

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Hypernyms (to "attribute" is one way to...):

evaluate; judge; pass judgment (form a critical opinion of)

Verb group:

impute (attribute (responsibility or fault) to a cause or source)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "attribute"):

impute (attribute (responsibility or fault) to a cause or source)

carnalize; sensualize (ascribe to an origin in sensation)

credit (give someone credit for something)

reattribute (attribute to another source)

anthropomorphise; anthropomorphize (ascribe human features to something)

personate; personify (attribute human qualities to something)

accredit; credit (ascribe an achievement to)

blame; charge (attribute responsibility to)

externalise; externalize; project (regard as objective)

interiorise; interiorize; internalise; internalize (incorporate within oneself; make subjective or personal)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something to somebody
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

attributable (capable of being attributed)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Decide as to where something belongs in a scheme

Example:

The biologist assigned the mushroom to the proper class

Synonyms:

assign; attribute

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Hypernyms (to "attribute" is one way to...):

evaluate; judge; pass judgment (form a critical opinion of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "attribute"):

classify; relegate (assign to a class or kind)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

attribution (assigning to a cause or source)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Sites that perform testing of the characteristics and attributes of active pharmaceutical ingredients or finished dosage forms.

(API/FDF Analytical Testing Site, NCI Thesaurus)

This condition is attributed to excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages.

(Alcoholic Cirrhosis, NCI Thesaurus)

An attribute used to characterize a change in the agent dose regimen in the context of its relation to the original documented treatment plan.

(Agent Dose Change Type, NCI Thesaurus)

The researchers attribute the reduced fruit quality to the apple flower’s reliance on a variety of pollination techniques and behaviors that a diverse bee community provides.

(Diverse Bee Communities Best for Apple Orchards, U.S. Department of Agriculture)

Differences in cognitive abilities — and the resulting differences for example in academic success and professional careers — are attributed to a considerable degree to individual differences in intelligence.

(Smart People Have Better Connected Brains, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Led by researchers at the University of Maryland's National-Socio Environmental Synthesis Center, the team found that the plague's effects, sometimes attributed to the fall of the Roman Empire, may have been exaggerated.

(Justinianic plague not a landmark pandemic?, National Science Foundation)

They attribute this result to clouds of particles high in their atmospheres.

('Cotton Candy' Planet Mysteries Unravel in New Hubble Observations, NASA)

But there are characteristics beyond the level of the individual – such as attributes of the communities in which we live – that can also have a profound effect on mental well-being.

(Depression - men far more at risk than women in deprived areas, University of Cambridge)

He could see no reason for it and attributed it to her nervousness.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Something, he supposed, might be attributed to his connection with them, but yet he had never met with so much attention in the whole course of his life.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)