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| Date: | 1300-1400 |
| Language: | Latin |
| Origin: | , past participle of attribuere, from ad- 'to' + tribuere; TRIBUTE |
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at‧tri‧bute1
attribute something to somebody/something
phrasal verb1 to believe or say that a situation or event is caused by something : 
The fall in the number of deaths from heart disease is generally attributed to improvements in diet.
The fall in the number of deaths from heart disease is generally attributed to improvements in diet.2 if people in general attribute a particular statement, painting, piece of music etc to someone, they believe that person said it, painted it etc : a saying usually attributed to Confucius
a saying usually attributed to Confucius3 to believe or say that someone or something has a particular quality : One should not attribute human motives to animals.
One should not attribute human motives to animals. —attribution noun [uncountable]
noun [uncountable]