at·trib·u·tive
adjective/əˈtrɪbjətɪv/
/əˈtrɪbjətɪv/
(grammar)- (of adjectives or nouns) used before a noun to describe it
（用于所修饰的名词前）定语的 - In ‘the blue sky’ and ‘a family business’, ‘blue’ and ‘family’ are attributive.
在 the blue sky 和 a family business 中，blue 和 family 是定语。
Oxford Collocations DictionaryAttributive is used with these nouns:- adjective
Word Originmid 18th cent. (as a noun in the sense ‘a word expressing an attribute’): from French attributif, -ive, from attribut ‘an attribute’, from Latin attribuere ‘add to’, from ad- ‘to’ + tribuere ‘assign’. - In ‘the blue sky’ and ‘a family business’, ‘blue’ and ‘family’ are attributive.