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tributary

 - 4 dictionary results

trib⋅u⋅tar⋅y

  [trib-yuh-ter-ee] noun, plural -tar⋅ies, adjective
Use tributary in a Sentence
–noun
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
3. (of a stream) flowing into a larger stream or other body of water.
4. furnishing subsidiary aid; contributory.
5. paying or required to pay tribute.
6. paid as tribute.
7. subject; subordinate: a tributary nation.
Origin:
1325–75; ME (adj. and n.) < L tribūtārius of tribute, one who pays tribute. See tribute, -ary

Related forms:
trib⋅u⋅tar⋅i⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tributary
trib·u·tar·y   (trĭb'yə-těr'ē)   
adj.  

  1. Making additions or yielding supplies; contributory.

  2. Paid in tribute.

  3. Paying tribute: a tributary colony.

n.   pl. trib·u·tar·ies

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

  2. A ruler or nation that pays tribute.


[Middle English tributarie, paying tribute, from Latin tribūtārius, from tribūtum, tribute; see tribute.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

tributary  (adj.)
1382, "paying tribute," from L. tributarius "liable to tax or tribute," from tributum (see tribute). The noun sense of "one who pays tribute" is recorded from 1432. Meaning "stream that flows into a larger body" is from 1822, from the adj., which is recorded from 1611 in this sense.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: trib·u·tary
Pronunciation: 'trib-y&-"ter-E
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -tar·ies
: a veinthat empties into a larger vein
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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