: paying tribute to another to acknowledge submission, to obtain protection, or to purchase peace : subject
2
: paid or owed as tribute
tributary gifts
3
: channeling material or supplies into something more inclusive : contributory
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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. Just as a smaller power gave some of its wealth to a larger power, a small river contributes its waters to a larger one. A tributary can be a tiny stream, but some are immense rivers. The Missouri River, for example, could be called a tributary to the Mississippi, even though it's about 2,500 miles long and receives hundreds of tributaries itself.
Noun one of the river's tributaries This stream is a tributary of the Ohio River.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The area where the dinosaur tracks have been revealed has historically been underwater and perhaps concealed by sandbars or rocky cover by the river, which is a tributary of the Brazos River. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 24 Aug. 2022 Big Creek, running through the west side of Cleveland and adjacent suburbs, is a major tributary to the Cuyahoga River, with a watershed that contains more than 130 miles of streams and is 90 percent developed. John Benson, cleveland, 17 Aug. 2022 Of all the rivers in the Colorado River tributary, the Yampa is the last without any dams. Rachel Walker, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 2022 The reservoir would capture water from Ash Creek, an important Virgin River tributary. Mark Eddington, The Salt Lake Tribune, 3 Aug. 2022 Among the lower grades: a C-minus for the Muddy River tributary in Boston and Brookline; a D for Alewife Brook, which borders Cambridge and Arlington; and an F for Unquity Brook in Milton. Anjali Huynh, BostonGlobe.com, 20 July 2022 Critics counter that the periodic high-volume, long-lasting releases erode banks, leave deposits and harm fish habitats on the 33-mile Hudson River tributary. Michael Hill, ajc, 21 Apr. 2022 Time spent away from fishing results in smaller broods and more nest failures, a trend that has increased in the past two decades along the James River tributary, said Watts, who surveys the Virginia bay area. Lilly Price, baltimoresun.com, 28 Feb. 2022 That treatment plant's effluent flows into Norton Creek, a tributary of the Huron River. Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, 4 Aug. 2022
Adjective
The crater is officially known as the Batagaika crater, named after the near-flowing Batagayka, a tributary river of the Yana river. Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 25 May 2022 Most important to Beijing, the pattern could over the long run turn Russia into a kind of tributary state to Beijing. Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2022 Like most saline lakes throughout the West, Great Salt Lake has declined over time due to drought and from humans diverting water from its tributary rivers. Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 5 July 2022 The clock attached to the tripod kept ticking and the suspense was growing until the current from the tributary Chena River finally pushed the ice around the tripod at 6:47 p.m. Alaska Standard Time May 2. Alena Naiden, Anchorage Daily News, 3 May 2022 The Great Salt Lake began to recede in the early 2000s, fueled by the current megadrought and unfettered diversion of its tributary rivers to water farms, cities and suburban turf. Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 10 Apr. 2022 By Valentine’s Day, dry weather had plunged snowpack above most tributary streams back below normal.AZCentral.com, 1 Mar. 2022 At Lewis Smith, this is prime time to catch a trophy striped bass as the fish move up into the tributary bays toward the rivers, particularly the Sipsey, Brushy and Ryan Creek arms. Frank Sargeant, al, 3 Dec. 2021 Where the tributary stream wraps around Houston Mesa Road at its confluence with Ellison Creek, the Water Wheel group of recreation sites attract anglers, swimmers and hikers. Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 16 Apr. 2021 See More