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.
Humans constantly attribute causes—often wrongly—because our brains hate unexplained events. The qualities you attribute to yourself and others quietly shape your expectations, which then shape your behavior, which can end up making those attributions come true.
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