conducive, contributing, contributive, contributory, tributary
(adjective) tending to bring about; being partly responsible for; “working conditions are not conducive to productivity”; “the seaport was a contributing factor in the growth of the city”; “a contributory factor”
tributary
(adjective) paying tribute; “a tributary colony”
tributary
(adjective) (of a stream) flowing into a larger stream
feeder, tributary, confluent, affluent
(noun) a branch that flows into the main stream
Source: WordNet® 3.1
tributary (plural tributaries)
A natural water stream that flows into a larger river or other body of water.
A nation, state, or other entity that pays tribute.
• (stream which flows into a larger one): affluent
tributary (not comparable)
Related to the paying of tribute.
subordinate; inferior
Yielding supplies of any kind; serving to form or make up, a greater object of the same kind, as a part, branch, etc.; contributing.
Source: Wiktionary
Trib"u*ta*ry, a. Etym: [OE. tributaire, F. tributaire, L. tributarius. See Tribute.]
1. Paying tribute to another, either from compulsion, as an acknowledgment of submission, or to secure protection, or for the purpose of purchasing peace. [Julius] unto Rome made them tributary. Chaucer.
2. Hence, subject; subordinate; inferior. He to grace his tributary gods. Milton.
3. Paid in tribute. "Tributary tears." Shak.
4. Yielding supplies of any kind; serving to form or make up, a greater object of the same kind, as a part, branch, etc.; contributing; as, the Ohio has many tributary streams, and is itself tributary to the Mississippi.
Trib"u*ta*ry, n.; pl. Tributaries (.
1. A ruler or state that pays tribute, or a stated sum, to a conquering power, for the purpose of securing peace and protection, or as an acknowledgment of submission, or for the purchase of security.
2. A stream or river flowing into a larger river or into a lake; an affluent.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
21 April 2025
(noun) a reference work (often in several volumes) containing articles on various topics (often arranged in alphabetical order) dealing with the entire range of human knowledge or with some particular specialty
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.
