tributary Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a branch that flows into the main stream
    affluent; confluent; feeder.
  2. adjective satellite (of a stream) flowing into a larger stream
  3. adjective satellite paying tribute
    • a tributary colony
  4. adjective satellite tending to bring about; being partly responsible for
    contributing; contributive; contributory; conducive.
    • working conditions are not conducive to productivity
    • the seaport was a contributing factor in the growth of the city
    • a contributory factor

WordNet

Trib"u*ta*ry adjective
Etymology
OE. tributaire, F. tributaire, L. tributarius. See Tribute.
Definitions
  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.
Trib"u*ta*ry noun
Wordforms
plural Tributaries
Definitions
  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.

Webster 1913