distributary

American  

[dih-strib-yoo-ter-ee] / dɪˈstrɪb yʊˌtɛr i /

noun

plural

distributaries

1. an outflowing branch of a stream or river, typically found in a delta (tributary ).

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distributary British  

/ -trɪ, dɪˈstrɪbjʊtərɪ /

noun

1. one of several outlet streams draining a river, esp on a delta

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distributary Scientific  

/ dĭ-strĭb′yə-tĕr′ē /

1. A branch of a river that flows away from the main stream.

2. One of the channels in a braided stream.

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Etymology

Origin of distributary

First recorded in 1535–45; distribute + -ary

Example Sentences

Had the river been left to its own devices, a super-wet spring like that of 2011 would have sent the Mississippi and its distributaries surging over their banks.

From The New Yorker

And at the center of the struggle is the Atchafalaya river, a 135 mile-long distributary of the Mississippi River that empties into the Gulf of Mexico.

From The Guardian

The course of history is full of confluences and meanders, oxbows, watersheds, dams and floods, tributaries and distributaries.

From The Guardian

Every 1,000 years or so, it abandoned its main channel for one of its distributaries.

From Economist

Saline water has long been invading the delta, but because of the drought there is not enough fresh water in the river and its distributaries to dilute the seawater.

From New York Times