ascribe

[ uh-skrahyb ]
/ əˈskraɪb /

verb (used with object), as·cribed, as·crib·ing.

to credit or assign, as to a cause or source; attribute; impute: The alphabet is usually ascribed to the Phoenicians.
to attribute or think of as belonging, as a quality or characteristic: They ascribed courage to me for something I did out of sheer panic.

Origin of ascribe

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin ascrībere, equivalent to a- a-5 + scrībere to scribe2; replacing Middle English ascrive < Middle French. See shrive

synonym study for ascribe

1. See attribute.

OTHER WORDS FROM ascribe

a·scrib·a·ble, adjective un·as·cribed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ascribe

ascribe proscribe subscribe

Example sentences from the Web for ascribable

British Dictionary definitions for ascribable

ascribe
/ (əˈskraɪb) /

verb (tr)

to credit or assign, as to a particular origin or period to ascribe parts of a play to Shakespeare
to attribute as a quality; consider as belonging to to ascribe beauty to youth

Derived forms of ascribe

ascribable, adjective

Word Origin for ascribe

C15: from Latin ascrībere to enrol, from ad in addition + scrībere to write

usage for ascribe

Ascribe is sometimes wrongly used where subscribe is meant: I do not subscribe (not ascribe) to this view