Dictionary definition(s) for: attributes

• n., [diplomatics] The characteristics that uniquely identify a record.
  [ Archives - Requirements for Assessing and Maintaining the Authenticity of Electronic Records , Page: 205 ]
  Authenticity Task Force. "Requirements for Assessing and Maintaining the Authenticity of Electronic Records." Appendix 2 in The Long-term Preservation of Authentic Electronic Records: Findings of the InterPARES Project. Edited by Luciana Duranti. San Miniato, Italy: Archilab, 2005. Also available online at http://interpares.org/book.
  See Also:

  • Ontology A
• n., [attributes] Refers most often to characteristics of individual objects, items, or entities, mostly expressions used to describe the thing. Often readily apparent though not quantifiable by an established standard.
  [ Arts - Art and Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) ]
  J. Paul Getty Trust. Art and Architecture Thesaurus (AAT). Los Angeles, CA: J. Paul Getty Trust, 2005. http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_reseach/vocabularies/aat/
• n., A defined property of an entity, object, etc. In computer graphics it is a particular property that applies to a graphical output primitive; lines have attributes such as line width, color, and line style. See also ERA model, inheritance.
  [ Computer and Information Sciences - A Dictionary of Computing ]
  A Dictionary of Computing. Oxford University Press, 2004. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. University of British Columbia. 4 August 2006 http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t11.e252
• n., A distinct, individual characteristic of an artifact, which cannot be further subdivided and distinguishes it from another. An attribute is used to classify artifacts into groups and describes objects in terms of their physical traits.
  [ Sciences - Encyclopedic Dictionary of Archaeology ]
  Encyclopedic Dictionary of Archaeology. Edited by Barbara Ann Kipfer. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum, 2000.
• n., A feature, characteristic, or property of a digital object.
• n., A minimal characteristic of an artefact such that it cannot be further subdivided; attributes commonly studied include aspects of form, style, decoration, colour, and raw material.
  [ Sciences - The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology ]
  The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. Timothy Darvill. Oxford University Press, 2002. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. University of British Columbia. 4 August 2006 http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t102.e308.
• n., A named value or relationship that exists for some or all instances of some entity and is directly associated with that instance.
  [ Computer and Information Sciences - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (FOLDOC) ]
  FOLDOC: Free Online Dictionary of Computing. http://foldoc.org/.
• n., For printers and display screens, a characteristic that changes a font, for example from normal to boldface or underlined, or from normal to reverse video.
  [ Computer and Information Sciences - The Computer Glossary: The Complete Illustrated Dictionary ]
  Freedman, Alan. The Computer Glossary: The Complete Illustrated Dictionary. 8th ed. New York: American Management Association, 1998.
• n., In co-ordinate indexing a characteristic mentioned as subject matter.
  [ Computer and Information Sciences - Harrod’s Librarians’ Glossary and Reference Book ]
  Harrod’s Librarians’ Glossary and Reference Book. 9th ed. Edited by Raymond John Prytherch. Brookfield, Vt.: Gower, 2000.
• n., In relational database management, a field within a record.
  [ Computer and Information Sciences - The Computer Glossary: The Complete Illustrated Dictionary ]
  Freedman, Alan. The Computer Glossary: The Complete Illustrated Dictionary. 8th ed. New York: American Management Association, 1998.
• n., Objects conventionally associated with a person (real or imaginary) by means of which he or she can be identified when portrayed in art. Saints are often shown with the instruments of their martyrdom or torture—Catherine with her wheel and Lawrence with his gridiron, for instance. Other examples are Jove's thunderbolts, the club of Hercules, the scales of Justice, or the anchor of Hope. While some of these were used widely and in many contexts, other attributes were more variable, and in certain periods the invention of esoteric or enigmatic attributes was rife.
  [ Arts - The Oxford Dictionary of Art ]
  The Oxford Dictionary of Art. Ed. Ian Chilvers. Oxford University Press, 2004. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. University of British Columbia. 4 August 2006 http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t2.e207