| attribute |
| Definition:
A word, such as a noun or an adjective, that is used to describe a quality of a person or a thing. Note: Adverbs are not attributes because they describe actions or activities not things. |
| Example: The old in the phrase the old man. |
| Etymology: The word ultimately derives from the Latin tribuere, assign. |
| Oxford English Dictionary: Its first citation in this sense is from 1808: "By Attributes Mr. Harris means Adjectives, Verbs, and Participles." (Middleton, Greek Article (1855), 56) |