Imputation

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌɪm.pjʊˈteɪ.ʃən/

Definitions

1. The method of attributing a negative quality or responsibility to an individual or organization is known as this term
2. The act of assigning a quality, especially a fault or responsibility, to a person or group
3. An assertion that something, often negative, is ascribed to someone as a cause or origin

Etymology: The Latin root of "imputation" is "putare", meaning to reckon, think, or prune, and in Latin "imputatio" was a term of accounting: entering a sum to someone's account. That financial sense carried over into English and remains visible in it. Early English uses concerned debts and payments credited to a person's name, and the accounting origin explains why the word still suggests placing something on someone's books. The moral sense developed from there. To impute a fault is to enter it against a person's record, so a blame that was once a ledger entry became a charge laid against someone. Theological writers later used the word in a similar way, speaking of righteousness being credited or reckoned to a believer, which shows how closely the idea of counting and charging stayed linked.

Synonyms: accusation, allegation, charge

Antonyms: exoneration