1 : a quality, character, or characteristic ascribed to someone or something has leadership attributes. 2 : an object closely associated with or belonging to a specific person, thing, or office a scepter is the attribute of power especially : such an object used for identification in painting or sculpture. 3 grammar : a word ascribing ...

to say that a particular person was the first person to say something, do something, invent something, etc.: attribute sth to sb This idea has long been attributed to Keynes, but in fact he was not the first to think of it. (Definition of attribute from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)