Today's word is impute, spelled I-M-P-U-T-E.
Impute is a verb.
To impute something, such as a motive, act, or emotion to a person or thing,
is to assert that the person or thing is guilty of that motive, act, or emotion.
Here's the word used in a sentence from the LA Times.
That's not to impute criminality on the part of any of those running to succeed the term-limited Gavin Newsom.
Rather,
those bidding to become California's 41st governor aren't exactly a collection of name-in-lights celebrities.
The word impute is a formal one, typically used in contexts in which a motive,
act, or emotion is credited or ascribed to someone, especially falsely or unfairly.
For example, if you impute dishonesty to someone,
you're asserting that they're not telling the truth.
And if you impute selfish motives to someone's actions,
you're asserting that they were motivated by selfishness.
In the form imputed, the word is often paired with the word income.
Imputed income is income calculated from the supposed value of intangible or non-cash sources,
such as use of a company car or an employee discount.
What's the connection between these meanings?
Both involve considering someone or something in a particular way,
tying each meaning to the words Latin ancestor, putare, means to consider.