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- Dictionarytributary/ˈtrɪbjʊt(ə)ri/
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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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.
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: a stream that flows to a larger stream or other body of water.. See examples of TRIBUTARY used in a sentence.
This article is about a lesser flow of water. For other uses, see Tributary (disambiguation). Nam Khan flows into the Mekong at Luang Prabang in Laos. A tributary, [1] or an affluent, [2] is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ( main stem or "parent" ), river, or a lake. [3] .
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.
Define tributary. tributary synonyms, tributary pronunciation, tributary translation, English dictionary definition of tributary. n. pl. trib·u·tar·ies 1. A stream that flows into a larger stream or other body of water. 2. A ruler or nation that pays tribute. adj. 1. Making additions...
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.
