'attributive-only' originates from Modern English as a compound of 'attributive' and 'only'. 'Attributive' ultimately comes from Latin 'attribuere' (via Medieval/Late Latin and Old French), where the prefix 'ad-' meant 'to' and 'tribuere' meant 'to assign'; 'only' comes from Old English roots meaning 'one/alone'.

'attributive' developed from Latin 'attribuere' into Medieval/Modern English forms (via Old French and Middle English) as 'attribut-' + '-ive', giving 'attributive'; combined in Modern English with 'only' to form the descriptive compound 'attributive-only'.

Initially the elements referred to 'assigning/related to attribution' (from 'attribuere') and 'alone/solely' (from Old English). Over time the compound came to mean 'solely used in attributive position (before a noun)', a direct combination of those component senses.