different between attribute vs peculiarity

English

Etymology

From Latin attributus past participle of attribuere.

Pronunciation

Noun

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?æt??bju?t/
• (General American) enPR: ??tr?-byo?ot', IPA^(key): /?æt????bjut/
• Rhymes: -æt??bju?t
• Hyphenation: at?tri?bute

Verb

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??t??bju?t/
• (General American) enPR: ?-tr??byo?ot', IPA^(key): /??t???bjut/
• Rhymes: -?bju?t
• Hyphenation: at?trib?ute

Noun

attribute (plural attributes)

1. A characteristic or quality of a thing.

   His finest attribute is his kindness.

2. An object that is considered typical of someone or some function, in particular as an artistic convention.

3. (grammar) A word that qualifies a noun, a qualifier.

   In the clause "My jacket is more expensive than yours", "My" is the attribute of "jacket".

4. (logic) That which is predicated or affirmed of a subject; a predicate; an accident.
5. (computing, object-oriented programming) An option or setting belonging to some object.

   This packet has its coherency attribute set to zero.

   A file with the read-only attribute set cannot be overwritten.

6. (programming) A semantic item with which a method or other code element may be decorated.

   Properties can be marked as obsolete with an attribute, which will cause the compiler to generate a warning if they are used.

   • 2003, Peter Drayton, Ben Albahari, Ted Neward, C# in a Nutshell (page 536)

     This attribute is used to declare in metadata that the attributed method or class requires SocketPermission of the declared form.

7. (computer graphics, dated) A numeric value representing the colours of part of the screen display.
   • 1987, Marcus Berkmann, Sceptre Of Bagdad (video game review) in Your Sinclair issue 17

     […] you can only carry two objects, your attributes clash when you walk past multi-coloured objects and your enemies fly up and down from the ceiling.

   • 1989, PC: The Independent Guide to IBM Personal Computers

     If any of the video buffer's background attribute bits are on, MONO converts the attribute to 70h (inverse video).

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:characteristic

Derived terms

Related terms

• attributive

Translations

Verb

attribute (third-person singular simple present attributes, present participle attributing, simple past and past participle attributed)

1. To ascribe (something) to a given cause, reason etc.
2. To associate ownership or authorship of (something) to someone.

   This poem is attributed to Browning.

   • 1663, John Tillotson, The Wisdom of being Religious

     We attribute nothing to God that hath any repugnancy or contradiction in it.

   • 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin 2010, p. 278:

     H?kim's atypical actions should not be attributed to Islam as much as to insanity, which eventually led him to proclaim himself as Allah, whereupon he was murdered by outraged fellow Muslims.

Conjugation

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

• attribute in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• attribute in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• ribattute

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /at.tri?bu?.te/, [ät?????bu?t??]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /at.tri?bu.te/, [?t???i?bu?t??]

Adjective

attrib?te

1. vocative masculine singular of attrib?tus

English

Etymology

peculiar +? -ity

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /p??kjuli????ti/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /p??kju?li?æ??ti/
• Rhymes: -æ??ti
• Hyphenation: pe?cu?li?ar?i?ty

Noun

peculiarity (countable and uncountable, plural peculiarities)

1. The quality or state of being peculiar; individuality; singularity.

   The peculiarity of meeting six people on a usually deserted trail only struck me later on.

2. That which is peculiar; a special and distinctive characteristic or habit; particularity.
   • 1853, Charlotte Brontë, Villette, Chapter 4:

     I had often heard of Miss Marchmont, and of her peculiarities (she had the character of being very eccentric), but till now had never seen her.

   • 1870, Louisa May Alcott, quoted in 2011, Daniel Shealy, Little Women Abroad: The Alcott Sisters' Letters from Europe, 1870-1871

     I thought Alice and H. J. P. would have fainted at the full spectacle; but we are fast getting used to the little peculiarities of foreigners and I trust they will forgive us many sins in return.

   • 1873, Specifications and Drawings of Patents Issued from the U.S. Patent Office

     The peculiarity of this invention consists in a means for varying the angle at which the plaiting-blade is held in the plaiter without varying the position of the entire instrument upon the sewing-machine.

3. Exclusive possession or right.

Translations