'ascriptive' originates from Latin, ultimately from 'ascribere' (a form of 'ad-' + 'scribere'), where 'ad-' meant 'to/toward' and 'scribere' meant 'to write'; the adjective developed via Medieval/Neo-Latin (e.g. 'ascriptivus').

'ascriptive' developed from Latin 'ascribere' which produced Medieval/Neo-Latin forms such as 'ascriptio'/'ascriptivus', and these forms were borrowed into English as the adjective 'ascriptive'.

Initially the root pertained to the action 'to write to/assign' (literally 'to write toward'); over time the sense shifted toward 'to assign or attribute' and the adjective came to mean 'relating to attribution or assignment (of qualities, status, etc.)'.