• (British, America) IPA: /əˈskɹaɪb/

ascribe (ascribes, present participle ascribing; past and past participle ascribed)

1. (transitive) To attribute a cause or characteristic to someone or something.

   One may ascribe these problems to the federal government; however, at this stage it is unclear what caused them.

   • 1646, Thomas Browne, “Of the Same [i.e., the Blacknesse of Negroes]”, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: Or, Enquiries into Very Many Received Tenents, and Commonly Presumed Truths, London: Printed for Tho. Harper for Edvvard Dod, OCLC 838860010 ↗; Pseudodoxia Epidemica: Or, Enquiries into Very Many Received Tenents, and Commonly Presumed Truths. […], 2nd corrected and much enlarged edition, London: Printed by A. Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath. Ekins, […], 1650, OCLC 152706203 ↗, book 6, page 282 ↗:

     Thus the Aſſe having a peculiar mark of a croſſe made by a black liſt down his back, and another athwart, or at right angles down his ſhoulders; common opinion aſcribes this figure unto a peculiar ſignation; ſince that beaſt had the honour to bear our Saviour on his back.

2. (transitive) To attribute a book, painting or any work of art or literature to a writer or creator.

   It is arguable as to whether we can truly ascribe this play to Shakespeare.

3. (nonstandard, with to) To believe in or agree with; subscribe.

• attribute
• impute

• ascription
• ascriptive

• French: imputer, attribuer, prêter
• Italian: ascrivere
• Portuguese: atribuir
• Russian: припи́сывать
• Spanish: imputar, atribuir, adscribir

• French: attribuer
• German: zuschreiben
• Italian: attribuire
• Russian: припи́сывать
• Spanish: atribuir, adscribir