What does the term “attribute” mean in C#?

In C#, an attribute is a mechanism used to attach metadata to program elements such as classes, methods, and properties. Attributes provide additional information about program elements that can be retrieved and used at runtime.

Attributes can serve multiple purposes, such as:

1. Provide static information at compile time: attributes can be used to provide static information at compile time for program elements, such as the element’s name, access modifiers, and type.
2. Provide dynamic information at runtime: properties can be used to provide dynamic information at runtime, such as the attributes, behavior, and status of elements.
3. Metadata provides additional information for program elements, such as the author, version number, creation date, and so on.

Attributes can be retrieved and used at runtime through reflection mechanism. They can help achieve certain functionalities in a program such as conditional checks, behavior modification, and metadata annotations.