Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A stream that flows into a larger stream or other body of water.
  • noun A ruler or nation that pays tribute.
  • adjective Making additions or yielding supplies; contributory.
  • adjective Paid in tribute.
  • adjective Paying tribute.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Paying tribute; taxed or assessed by tribute.
  • Of the nature of tribute; paid or due as tribute.
  • Bringing accretions, supplies, aid, or the like; contributory; auxiliary; subsidiary; specifically, of streams, affluent.
  • noun A person or a state that pays tribute; one who or that which pays a stated sum to a conquering power, in acknowledgment of submission, or for the purchase of peace, security, and protection.
  • noun In geography, an affluent; a river or other body of water which contributes its stream to another river, etc.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun 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.
  • noun A stream or river flowing into a larger river or into a lake; an affluent.
  • adjective Paying tribute to another, either from compulsion, as an acknowledgment of submission, or to secure protection, or for the purpose of purchasing peace.
  • adjective Hence, subject; subordinate; inferior.
  • adjective Paid in tribute.
  • adjective Yielding supplies of any kind; serving to form or make up, a greater object of the same kind, as a part, branch, etc.; contributing.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A river that flows into a larger river or other body of water.
  • noun A nation, state, or other entity that pays tribute.
  • adjective Related to the paying of tribute.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective paying tribute
  • noun a branch that flows into the main stream
  • adjective (of a stream) flowing into a larger stream
  • adjective tending to bring about; being partly responsible for

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English tributarie, paying tribute, from Latin tribūtārius, from tribūtum, tribute; see tribute.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English tributarie ("paying tribute"), from Latin tributarius, from tributum ("tribute").

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