attribution

American  

[a-truh-byoo-shuhn] / ˌæ trəˈbyu ʃən /

noun

1. the act of attributing; ascription.

2. something ascribed; an attribute.

3. Numismatics. a classification for a coin, based on its distinguishing features, as date, design, or metal.

4. Archaic. authority or function assigned, as to a ruler, legislative assembly, delegate, or the like.

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Other Word Forms

• misattribution noun
• reattribution noun

Etymology

Origin of attribution

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin attribūtiōn-, stem of attribūtiō “assignment, an allotting”; attribute, -ion

Example Sentences

In 2025 Germany recorded 320 sabotage attempts, though “clear attribution remains challenging because the perpetrators are rarely identified,” the report says.

From The Wall Street Journal

But he knows that, if a critic can’t draw enlightening connections, attribution is only a parlor game.

From The Wall Street Journal

Across porous borders with high regional caseloads, repeated reintroductions of a common strain make precise attribution of outbreak sources difficult.

From The Wall Street Journal

Lesley Stevenson, senior conservator of paintings at the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh, is among several experts who have since confirmed the Raeburn attribution.

From BBC

"We want to create a clear perimeter around ownership with consent and attribution the norm in an AI world".

From BBC