attributions
|at-tri-bu-tions|
🇺🇸
/ˌætrəˈbjuːʃən/
🇬🇧
/əˌtrɪbjuˈʃən/
(attribution)
assigning or crediting (cause, source, author)
Etymology
'attribution' originates from Latin, specifically the verb 'attribuere' (to assign or give), where the prefix 'ad-' meant 'to, toward' and 'tribuere' meant 'to give or grant'.
'attribuere' passed into Late Latin/Medieval Latin as 'attributio' or 'attributionem' and then into Middle English as 'attribution', becoming the modern English noun 'attribution'.
Initially it meant 'the act of assigning or giving', and over time it evolved to the specialized senses of 'ascribing a cause' or 'crediting authorship', which are common in modern usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural form of 'attribution'.
The museum's catalog included attributions for each painting.
Synonyms
Noun 2
instances of ascribing something (a cause, work, quality, or authorship) to someone or something; statements or judgments that assign origin or credit.
Scholars debated the attributions of several anonymous poems to different authors.
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Noun 3
in marketing/analytics, the allocation of credit for conversions or outcomes to particular channels or touchpoints (e.g., 'attributions' of sales to advertising sources).
The company reviewed its attributions to better understand which ads led to purchases.
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Last updated: 2025/11/16 22:39