Standard Lemma guide

distributary

adj · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /di-ˈstri-byə-ˌter-ē/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

That distributes.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A stream of water (either natural or artificial) that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: geography, hydrology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: tributary

3

noun

Meaning 3

a branch of a river that flows away from the main stream and does not rejoin it

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: tributary

Broader terms: branch

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English distribute Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusder. Middle English -arie English -ary English distributary From distribute + -ary.

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 支津 (zhījīn) — a stream of water that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel
  • Chinese Mandarin: 汊流 (chàliú) — a stream of water that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel
  • Chinese Mandarin: 分流 (fēnliú) — a stream of water that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel
  • Dutch: aftakking — a stream of water that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel
  • Irish: tréig-abhainn — a stream of water that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel
  • Māori: mātāhae — a stream of water that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel
  • Spanish: distributario — a stream of water that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel