Contributarie

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing something that helps to bring about a result or adds to a shared effort alongside other factors
2. Serving as a part of a joint effort by giving aid or adding to an outcome together with other causes
3. Having a role in producing an effect, especially by supplying a share alongside other things that also play a part

Etymology: "Contributary" is an old English adjective meaning "contributing" or "partly causing something," as in a stream that feeds a larger river. It is formed from the Latin "contributarius," which in turn comes from "contribuere," meaning "to bring together" or "to add to," built from "com-" (together) and "tribuere" (to assign or bestow). The root "tribuere" also gave English "tribute" and "attribute," and its underlying sense of allotting a share is still visible in all three. The word is rare now, and it seems to have been most used in the 17th and 18th centuries, when writers discussed tributary rivers and contributory causes. Its more familiar relative "contributory" has largely displaced it, though both forms have been in use for centuries. The spelling with "-ary" follows the same pattern as "tributary," which is no accident: the two words share the same root and the same suffix.