ascribe

ascribe, attribute, assign, impute, credit mean to lay something to the account of a person or thing. ascribe suggests an inferring or conjecturing of cause, quality, authorship.

• • forged paintings formerly ascribed to masters

attribute suggests less tentativeness than ascribe, less definiteness than assign.

• • attributed to Rembrandt but possibly done by an associate

assign implies ascribing with certainty or after deliberation.

• • assigned the bones to the Cretaceous period

impute suggests ascribing something that brings discredit by way of accusation or blame.

• • tried to impute sinister motives to my actions

credit implies ascribing a thing or especially an action to a person or other thing as its agent, source, or explanation.

• • credited his teammates for his success