TRIBUTARY DEFINITIONS - 12 definitions found
tributary adj 1: (of a stream) flowing into a larger stream 2: paying tribute; "a tributary colony" 3: tending to bring about; being partly responsible for; "working conditions are not conducive to productivity"; "the seaport was a contributing factor in the growth of the city"; "a contributory factor" [syn: conducive, contributing(a), contributive, contributory, tributary] n 1: a branch that flows into the main stream [syn: feeder, tributary, confluent, affluent] [ant: distributary] tributary 14c., from L. tributarius "liable to tax or tribute," from tributum (see tribute). Meaning "stream that flows into a larger body" is from 1822, from the adj., which is recorded from 1611 in this sense. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) tributary I. adjective Date: 14th century 1. paying tribute to another to acknowledge submission, to obtain protection, or to purchase peace ; subject 2. paid or owed as tribute <tributary gifts> 3. channeling material or supplies into something more inclusive ; contributory II. noun (plural -taries) Date: 14th century 1. a ruler or state that pays tribute to a conqueror 2. a stream feeding a larger stream or a lake Oxford English Reference Dictionary
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary tributary (tributaries) A tributary is a stream or river that flows into a larger one. ...the Napo river, a tributary of the Amazon. N-COUNT: oft N n English Explanatory Dictionary tributary ˈtrɪbjutərɪ n. & adj. --n. (pl. -ies) 1 a river or stream flowing into a larger river or lake. 2 hist. a person or State paying or subject to tribute. --adj. 1 (of a river etc.) that is a tributary. 2 hist. a paying tribute. b serving as tribute. øøtributarily adv. tributariness n. [ME f. L tributarius (as TRIBUTE)] Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Tributary \Trib"u*ta*ry\, a. [OE. tributaire, F. tributaire, L. tributarius. See Tribute.] 1. Paying tribute to another, either from compulsion, as an acknowledgment of submission, or to secure protection, or for the purpose of purchasing peace. [Julius] unto Rome made them tributary. --Chaucer. 2. Hence, subject; subordinate; inferior. He to grace his tributary gods. --Milton. 3. Paid in tribute. ``Tributary tears.'' --Shak. 4. Yielding supplies of any kind; serving to form or make up, a greater object of the same kind, as a part, branch, etc.; contributing; as, the Ohio has many tributary streams, and is itself tributary to the Mississippi. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Tributary \Trib"u*ta*ry\, n.; pl. Tributaries. 1. A ruler or state that pays tribute, or a stated sum, to a conquering power, for the purpose of securing peace and protection, or as an acknowledgment of submission, or for the purchase of security. 2. A stream or river flowing into a larger river or into a lake; an affluent. Soule\'s Dictionary of English Synonyms tributary a. 1. Paying tribute, subject to tribute. 2. Subject, subordinate, inferior. 3. Paid in tribute. 4. Contributing. English Explanatory Dictionary (Synonyms) tributary ˈtrɪbjutərɪ n. branch, offshoot, streamlet, feeder, brook, rivulet, run, rill, runnel, runlet, streamlet, Scots and No. Eng. burn, No. Eng. beck, US creek, NE US kill: The Teviot is one of the tributaries of the Tweed. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 45 Moby Thesaurus words for "tributary": accessory, affluent, bayou, beck, billabong, branch, brook, burn, client, collateral, confluent, confluent stream, conquered, creek, dendritic drainage pattern, dependent, effluent, feeder, feudal, feudatory, fork, inferior, kill, liege, minor, offshoot, prong, rill, rivulet, run, runlet, runnel, satellite, secondary, servile, streamlet, sub, subdued, subject, subjugated, subordinate, subservient, under, vanquished, vassal |
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