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

The meander took the Mississippi so far west that it ran into the Atchafalaya, at that time a distributary of a different river, the Red, which itself was a Mississippi tributary.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 25, 2019

The agency’s master plan calls for punching eight giant holes through the levees on the Mississippi and two more through those on its main distributary, the Atchafalaya.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 25, 2019

As one part of the delta becomes overwhelmed by sediment, the slow-moving flow gets diverted back and forth, over and over, and forms a spread out network of smaller distributary channels.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

As distributary channels fill with sediment, the stream is diverted laterally, and the alluvial fan develops into a cone shape with distributaries radiating from the canyon mouth.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

The outer part of this zone branches out into dark lines, which occupy all the surrounding region, and seem to be distributary canals by which the liquid mass may return to its natural position.

From The Certainty of a Future Life in Mars by Gratacap, L. P.