tributary

C1 Topic:Nature & Landscape

US /ˈtrɪbjəteri/ UK /ˈtrɪbjətəri/ See IPA manual

Freq #51305

Meanings

1

noun
a river or stream that flows into a larger river or lake

The Missouri River is a major tributary of the Mississippi.
2

adj
flowing into a larger river, lake, or system

Pollution entered the reservoir through several tributary streams.
3

adj
paying tribute to, dependent on, or subordinate to a more powerful state

The empire demanded annual payments from each tributary kingdom.
4

noun
a state or people that pays tribute to a more powerful ruler or state

The smaller kingdom remained a tributary of the empire for decades.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a river or stream that... feeder streamaffluent

2 adj · flowing into a larger... contributing feeder

3 adj · paying tribute to,... subordinate vassal dependent

4 noun · a state or people that pays... tributary statevassal

Opposites

distributaryindependent state

Word family

Related forms distributarytributetributary state

Etymology

From Middle English tributarie, from Latin tributarius, "relating to tribute," from tributum, "a contribution or tax." The political senses are oldest. The river sense arose by metaphor: a smaller stream contributes its water to a larger one as a subject state contributes tribute.

Topics

Nature & Landscape

External links

# tributary

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈtrɪbjəteri/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈtrɪbjətəri/
**Frequency rank:** 51305

## Meanings
1. a river or stream that flows into a larger river or lake
2. flowing into a larger river, lake, or system
3. paying tribute to, dependent on, or subordinate to a more powerful state
4. a state or people that pays tribute to a more powerful ruler or state

## Examples
- The Missouri River is a major tributary of the Mississippi.
- Pollution entered the reservoir through several tributary streams.
- The empire demanded annual payments from each tributary kingdom.
- The smaller kingdom remained a tributary of the empire for decades.

## Synonyms
- feeder stream
- affluent
- vassal
- dependent

## Antonyms
- distributary
- independent state

## Related Forms
- distributary
- tribute
- tributary state

## Etymology
From Middle English tributarie, from Latin tributarius, "relating to tribute," from tributum, "a contribution or tax." The political senses are oldest. The river sense arose by metaphor: a smaller stream contributes its water to a larger one as a subject state contributes tribute.

## Topics
- Nature & Landscape

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