tributary

[ trib-yuh-ter-ee ]

noun

, plural trib·u·tar·ies.

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

/ trĭb′yə-tĕr′ē /

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

Derived Forms

• ˈtributarily, adverb

Other Words From

• tribu·tari·ly adverb
• non·tribu·tary adjective
• un·tribu·tari·ly adverb
• un·tribu·tary 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

Biologists from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife have spotted fall-run Chinook salmon in tributaries miles upstream from where Iron Gate Dam was removed.

From Los Angeles Times

Water is the eternal conundrum in this state, especially as climate change has diminished the summer monsoons and the Rio Grande and its tributaries slowly dry up.

From Los Angeles Times

One section of the river is lined with concrete, and the remnants of tributary creeks sit in straight ditches.

From Los Angeles Times

This undammed river, a tributary of the Klamath River near the California-Oregon border, is one of the last remaining strongholds of a type of salmon that is increasingly at risk of extinction: spring-run chinook.

From Los Angeles Times

The Madeira river, a major tributary to the Amazon, had fallen to just 48cm in the city of Porto Velho on Tuesday, down from an average of 3.32m for this day, official data showed.

From BBC