tributary

[trib-yuh-ter-ee]

noun

plural

tributaries 

1. a stream that flows to a larger stream or other body of water.

2. a person or nation that pays tribute in acknowledgment of subjugation or the like.

adjective

1. (of a stream) flowing into a larger stream or other body of water.

2. furnishing subsidiary aid; contributory.

3. paying or required to pay tribute.

4. paid as tribute.

5. subject; subordinate.

   a tributary nation.

tributary

/ -trɪ, ˈtrɪbjʊtərɪ /

noun

1. a stream, river, or glacier that feeds another larger one

2. a person, nation, or people that pays tribute

adjective

1. (of a stream, etc) feeding a larger stream

2. given or owed as a tribute

3. paying tribute

tributary

1. A stream that flows into a river, a larger stream, or a lake.

Other Word Forms

• tributarily adverb
• nontributary adjective
• untributarily adverb
• untributary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tributary¹

1325–75; Middle English (adj. and noun) < Latin tribūtārius of tribute, one who pays tribute. See tribute, -ary

Example Sentences

An above-ground storage tank operated by Carbon California spilled the oil into a remote tributary of Sisar Creek near Ojai, contaminating about three-quarters of a mile of the waterway, according to state wildlife officials.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It lays out specific conditions that must be met for federal jurisdiction—for instance, tributaries must have a predictable and consistent flow to navigable waters.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Veins of emerald-green light spread from the walls, like tributaries, into the center of the room.

Read more on Literature

In August, Chinese mine officials, accompanied by Zambian government officials, went door-to-door in the village of Sabina, near a tributary of the Kafue River, residents recalled in interviews.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He also trained as a carpenter and, along with some friends, built his family home on a plot of land along Fish Creek, a tributary of the Snake River, in the shadow of the Tetons.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal