attributable

Everyday

1. (formal) If something is attributable to a cause, it is caused by it or can be said to come from it. tree →
2. (formal) If a saying or work is attributable to a person, that person said or made it. tree →

In the lessons

In science and in the stiff exam voice it links a result to a cause: «The rise is attributable to the heat.» In maths problems it can tell which part of a total comes from which cause. Phrases: «attributable to».

Examples

• The flood was attributable to heavy rain. tree →
• Half of the cost is attributable to transport. tree →
• The rise in temperature is attributable to the heater. tree →
• Most of the noise was attributable to the building work. tree →
• The quote is attributable to a famous writer. tree →
• What fraction of the damage is attributable to the storm? tree →

Note

Formal; in everyday speech say «caused by» or «because of». Always followed by «to». Spelling: at-TRIB-ut-able. Maths: «the amount attributable to X» is the part of the total that comes from X.