As a verb, to attribute something to someone or something is to say that they caused it or are responsible for it. As a noun, an attribute is a quality or feature that belongs to a person or thing.
It comes from Latin *attribuere*, 'to assign, allot', from *ad-* 'to' and *tribuere* 'to give'. The noun grew from the idea of qualities being 'given to' or assigned to a person or thing.
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