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Glite Dictionary
🌊 A smaller river 🌊 Flowing into river 💰 Paying tribute
tributary

tributary

5.6
Flowing into a larger river instead of into the sea
  • adjective
  • /ˈtrɪb.jə.ter.i/
translation icon : tributario
  • The tributary stream joined the main river just north of the village.

Examples

  • Several tributary creeks feed into the larger river during the rainy season.

  • A small tributary flows into the main river, enriching its ecosystem.

  • A tributary channel carries water from the hills to the main waterway.

  • The tributary flows into the main river.

  • There are many tributary streams in this region.

  • The tributary creek provides essential water for the wildlife along the larger riverbed.

  • Farmers rely on a tributary stream to irrigate their fields during the dry season.

Surface Forms

tributary positive

Morphology

tributary = tribute (semi-transparent) = tribute + ary

Formed from 'tribute' + '-ary', but the hydrological meaning ('a stream that gives water') is a metaphorical extension rather than a literal transfer, so learners may not predict it directly.

Etymology

Tributary comes from the same root as tribute, from a Latin word meaning 'to give'. Imagine a small stream 'giving' its water to a bigger river — that is why a tributary is described as flowing into a larger waterway.