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- Dictionarytrib·u·tar·y/ˈtribyəˌterē/
noun
- 1. a river or stream flowing into a larger river or lake: "the Illinois River, a tributary of the Mississippi"
- 2. a person or state that pays tribute to another state or ruler: historical "tributaries of the Ottoman Empire"
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A tributary was originally a person or state that owed tribute to a more powerful person or state. Ancient China, for instance, had dozens of tributary states, and the emperor would receive elephants from Siam or young girls from Korea as tribute.
TRIBUTARY definition: 1. a river or stream that flows into a larger river or a lake: 2. a river or stream that flows…. Learn more.
An early tributary is a tributary that joins the main stem river closer to its source than its mouth, that is, before the river's midpoint; a late tributary joins the main stem further downstream, closer to its mouth than to its source, that is, after the midpoint.
Long ago, a tributary was someone who was forced to pay a person or group in return for protection — namely from those who received the tribute. Today, a tributary is a smaller body of water that flows into a larger one or a contributing factor in something that happens.
5 meanings: 1. a stream, river, or glacier that feeds another larger one 2. a person, nation, or people that pays tribute 3..... Click for more definitions.
TRIBUTARY meaning: 1. a river or stream that flows into a larger river or a lake: 2. a river or stream that flows…. Learn more.
Definition of tributary noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
