attribute — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A characteristic or quality of a thing.

   Examples

   His finest attribute is his kindness.

2. An object that is considered typical of someone or some function, in particular as an artistic convention.

   Examples

   The eagle and the bolt of lightning are attributes of Jove.

3. A word that qualifies a noun.

   Synonyms

   qualifier

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

5. An option or setting belonging to some object.

   Examples

   This packet has its coherency attribute set to zero.

   A file with the read-only attribute set cannot be overwritten.

6. A semantic item with which a method or other code element may be decorated.

   Examples

   Properties can be marked as obsolete with an attribute, which will cause the compiler to generate a warning if they are used.

   This attribute is used to declare in metadata that the attributed method or class requires SocketPermission of the declared form.

7. A numeric value representing the colours of part of the screen display.

   Usage

   • Dated

   Examples

   […] you can only carry two objects, your attributes clash when you walk past multi-coloured objects and your enemies fly up and down from the ceiling.

   If any of the video buffer's background attribute bits are on, MONO converts the attribute to 70h (inverse video).

Verb

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

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Synonyms

   layimpute

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   For as this is the liquor of modern historians, nay, perhaps their muse, if we may believe the opinion of Butler, who attributes inspiration to ale, it ought likewise to be the potation of their readers, since every book ought to be read with the same spirit and in the same manner as it is writ.

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

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   This poem is attributed to Browning.

   We attribute nothing to God that hath any repugnancy or contradiction in it.

   More examples (2)

   It is to be recouered, but that the merit of ſeruice is ſeldom attributed to the true and exact performer, I would haue that drumme or another, or hic iacet.

   Hākim's atypical actions should not be attributed to Islam as much as to insanity, which eventually led him to proclaim himself as Allah, whereupon he was murdered by outraged fellow Muslims.

Noun

1. a construct whereby objects or individuals can be distinguished

   Synonyms

   propertydimension

   Broader terms

   conceptconceptionconstruct

   Examples

   self-confidence is not an endearing property

2. an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of an entity

   Broader terms

   abstractionabstract entity

Verb

1. attribute or credit to

   Synonyms

   imputeascribeassign

   Broader terms

   evaluatepass judgmentjudge

   Examples

   We attributed this quotation to Shakespeare

   People impute great cleverness to cats

2. decide as to where something belongs in a scheme

   Synonyms

   assign

   Broader terms

   evaluatepass judgmentjudge

   Examples

   The biologist assigned the mushroom to the proper class