attributes

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of attribute.

   Investigators carefully catalogued the attributes of each soil sample.

   Good leadership requires a blend of several personal attributes.

   Note

   One spelling does double duty here. As a noun plural it is stressed on the first syllable, while the verb form moves the stress to the second. The plural covers every field the singular does: the qualities of a person or thing, the objects that identify a figure in art, the predicates of logic, and the settings or decorations attached to an object in programming.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of attribute.

   The report attributes the sharp decline to falling exports.

   Our coach attributes the win to months of careful preparation.

   Note

   The verb always takes an object, and it usually takes a to-phrase as well. That phrase names either a cause (the report attributes the decline to exports) or a credited author (the museum attributes the painting to a pupil). The two uses share one construction, so context tells them apart. Unlike the noun plural, this form never stands alone without something being credited.

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