tributary
[ trib-yuh-ter-ee ]
/ ˈtrɪb yəˌtɛr i /
noun, plural trib·u·tar·ies.
a stream that flows to a larger stream or other body of water.
a person or nation that pays tribute in acknowledgment of subjugation or the like.
adjective
Nearby words
tribulation, tribunal, tribunate, tribune, tribune group, tributary, tribute, tribute band, tricalcium silicate, tricameral, tricarboxylic
Origin of tributary
Related forms
trib·u·tar·i·ly, adverbnon·trib·u·tar·y, adjectiveun·trib·u·tar·i·ly, adverbun·trib·u·tar·y, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for tributary
British Dictionary definitions for tributary
tributary
/ (ˈtrɪbjʊtərɪ, -trɪ) /
noun plural -taries
a stream, river, or glacier that feeds another larger one
a person, nation, or people that pays tribute
adjective
(of a stream, etc) feeding a larger stream
given or owed as a tribute
paying tribute
Derived Forms
tributarily, adverbCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Science definitions for tributary
tributary
[ trĭb′yə-tĕr′ē ]
A stream that flows into a river, a larger stream, or a lake.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.