tribute

See also: Tribute and tributé

English

Etymology

PIE word
*tréyes

From Middle English tribut (14th c.), from Middle French tribut, from Latin tributum (“tribute”, literally “a thing contributed or paid”), past participle of tribuere (“to assign, allot”), usually derived from tribus (“tribe”, which see).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɹɪbjuːt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

tribute (countable and uncountable, plural tributes)

1. An acknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift.

   Please accept this as a tribute of our thanks.

   • 1750 June 12 (date written; published 1751), T[homas] Gray, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”, in Designs by Mr. R[ichard] Bentley, for Six Poems by Mr. T. Gray, London: […] R[obert] Dodsley, […], published 1753, →OCLC:

     the passing tribute of a sigh

   1. An homage made in a body of work to another work or creator.

      Did you catch the Up in Smoke tribute in that episode of That '70s Show?

2. A payment made by one nation to another in submission.

   The Ancient Romans made their conquered countries pay tribute.

4. Extortion; protection money.
5. A payment made by a feudal vassal to his lord.
6. (mining) A certain proportion of the mined ore, or of its value, given to the miner as payment.
   • 1778, William Pryce, Mineralogia Cornubiensis: A Treatise on Minerals, Mines, and Mining […] :

     The setting of a Copper Mine upon tribute , has this difference : the Tributor is at the sole expence of digging , raising , and dressing , all the Ore that can be made merchantable

   • 1852-1866, Charles Tomlinson, Cyclopaedia of Useful Arts and Manufactures

     Tut-work is also employed upon the lode itself, though from the advantages generally considered to arise from the tribute system […]

7. (Internet slang, vulgar) Ellipsis of cum tribute.

Usage notes

• Often used in the construction pay tribute to.

Synonyms

• encomium
• heriot

Derived terms

• cum tribute
• I volunteer as tribute
• tribute act
• tribute band
• tribute money
• tribute wall

Related terms

• tribe
• tribal
• tributary

Translations

acknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift

• Assamese: শ্ৰদ্ধাঞ্জলি (sroddhañzoli)
• Belarusian: дані́на f (danína), нале́жнае n (naljéžnaje)
• Bulgarian: дан (bg) f (dan), дължи́мо (bg) n (dǎlžímo)
• Catalan: tribut (ca) m, homenatge (ca) m
• Czech: hold (cs) m, úcta (cs) f
• Finnish: kunnianosoitus (fi)
• French: hommage (fr) m, tribut (fr) m
• German: Tribut (de) m
• Hindi: श्रद्धांजलि (hi) f (śraddhāñjli)
• Irish: ómós m
• Italian: omaggio (it) m
• Japanese: オマージュ (ja) (omāju)
• Latin: tribūtum (la) n
• Māori: whakamānawatanga
• Old English: gombe f
• Polish: wyrazy uznania pl, hołd (pl) m
• Portuguese: homenagem (pt) f
• Russian: дань (ru) f (danʹ), до́лжное (ru) n (dólžnoje)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: да̏нак m

  Latin: dȁnak (sh) m

• Slovak: hold m, pocta f
• Spanish: tributo (es) m, homenaje (es) m
• Tamil: please add this translation if you can
• Ukrainian: дани́на f (danýna), нале́жне n (naléžne)
• Welsh: teyrnged (cy)

payment made by one nation to another in submission

• Arabic: جِزْيَة f (jizya)
• Azerbaijani: təzminat (az)
• Belarusian: дані́на f (danína), по́даць f (pódacʹ), дань f (danʹ)
• Bulgarian: да́нък (bg) m (dánǎk), дан (bg) f (dan)
• Catalan: tribut (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 貢品 / 贡品 (zh) (gòngpǐn), 朝貢 / 朝贡 (zh) (cháogòng)

• Czech: daň (cs) f
• Egyptian: (bꜣkw)
• Finnish: pakkovero, tribuutti (fi), suojeluraha (fi)
• French: tribut (fr) m
• Georgian: ხარკი (xarḳi)
• German: Tribut (de) m
• Gothic: 𐌲𐌹𐌻𐍃𐍄𐍂 n (gilstr), 𐌲𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂 n (gabaur)
• Greek: φόρος υποτέλειας m (fóros ypotéleias)

  Ancient Greek: φόρος m (phóros)

• Indonesian: upeti (id)
• Italian: tributo (it) m
• Japanese: 貢ぎ物 (ja) (mitsugimono), 貢ぎ (ja) (mitsugi), 朝貢 (ja) (ちょうこう, chōkō)
• Korean: 조공(朝貢) (ko) (jogong)
• Latin: stipendium n
• Malay: ufti
• Old English: gafol n
• Persian: باج (fa) (bâj), ساو (fa) (sâv)
• Polish: danina (pl) f, trybut m
• Portuguese: tributo (pt) m
• Russian: дань (ru) f (danʹ), по́дать (ru) f (pódatʹ)
• Slovak: daň (sk) f
• Spanish: parias (es) f pl, tributo (es) m, mita (es) f
• Swahili: kodi (sw)
• Tamil: please add this translation if you can
• Ukrainian: дани́на f (danýna), по́дать f (pódatʹ), пода́ток (uk) m (podátok), дань f (danʹ)
• Vietnamese: triều cống (vi)

extortion; protection money

• Bulgarian: рекет m (reket)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 保護費 / 保护费 (bǎohùfèi)

• Finnish: suojeluraha (fi)
• Greek: προστασία (el) f (prostasía)
• Russian: дань (ru) f (danʹ)

payment made by a feudal vassal to his lord

• Arabic: خَرَاج m (ḵarāj)
• Dutch: afdracht (nl) f
• Finnish: suojeluraha (fi)
• Gothic: 𐌲𐌹𐌻𐍃𐍄𐍂 n (gilstr)
• Irish: ardchíos m

  Old Irish: mál m

• Japanese: 貢ぎ物 (ja) (mitsugimono), 貢ぎ (ja) (mitsugi)
• Polish: danina (pl) f, trybut m
• Portuguese: preito (pt) m, vassalagem (pt) f, tributo (pt) m
• Russian: дань (ru) f (danʹ)
• Tamil: கப்பம் (ta) (kappam), திறை (ta) (tiṟai)

Verb

tribute (third-person singular simple present tributes, present participle tributing, simple past and past participle tributed)

1. (transitive) To pay as tribute.
   • 1654, Richard Whitlock, Zootomia:

     Amorous Trifler, that spendeth […] his Afternoones in discourse with Paint, or Lust, tributing most precious Minutes, to the Scepter of a Fanne.

Related terms

• attribute
• contribute
• distribute

Further reading

• “tribute”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “tribute”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Anagrams

• burtite, turbite

Latin

Participle

tribūte

1. vocative masculine singular of tribūtus

Portuguese

Verb

tribute

1. inflection of tributar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Spanish

Verb

tribute

1. inflection of tributar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative