'attribution' originates from Latin, specifically the verb 'attribuere', where 'ad-' meant 'to, toward' and 'tribuere' meant 'to allot or give.'

'attribuere' passed into Old French as 'attribuer' and into Middle English in forms such as 'atribucion' or 'atributioun', eventually developing into the modern English noun 'attribution.'

Initially it referred generally to the act of bestowing or allotting; over time the meaning narrowed and specialized to the assignment of cause, credit, authorship, or responsibility.