Qualities or characteristics regarded as inherent or typical of someone or something.
From Latin 'attributus', past participle of 'attribuere' meaning 'to assign, allot'. Composed of 'ad-' (to) and 'tribuere' (to give, assign). Entered English in the 15th century through French influence.
The word attributes beautifully captures how we organize reality by assigning qualities to things - it's both the act of attribution and the qualities themselves. In computing, attributes have become fundamental to how we describe data, making this ancient Latin concept central to digital architecture.
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