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contribute

Etymology and origin of the English word contribute

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1530
Borrowed from
Latin contributus
Ultimate origin
Latin (contribuo)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /kənˈtrɪb.juːt/, /ˈkɒn.trɪ.bjuːt/, US /kənˈtrɪb.juːt/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin contribūtus, past participle of contribuere (“to bring together, add, unite, collect”),[2][3][4][5] from com- “with, together” (see con-) and tribuere “to allot, pay” (see tribute);[2][5] Barnhart takes it as probably in part a back-formation from the earlier contribution.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

To give jointly with others to a common fund: 1530, in Palsgrave's Lesclarcissement, in Barnhart, the OED and MWU;[3][6][5] the 1520s in Etymonline.[2]

Semantic evolution

The intransitive use, to give or make a contribution, is from before 1610.[6] The figurative sense, to have a part in bringing about a result, is from the 1630s;[2] the OED has the transitive use from 1634.[6] To write articles for a newspaper or magazine is from 1653 in the OED, with the intransitive use following in 1864.[6] Two rare 16th-century senses, to levy tribute on and to pay tribute, are now obsolete.[6] Contribution is older, from before 1387, when it meant a tax, in Trevisa;[3] contributor is from 1433 and contributory from 1410.[3]

Timeline

  • before 1387 – contribution, a tax.[3]
  • 1530 – to give to a common fund.[3][6]
  • 1559 – to make tributary (obsolete).[6]
  • 1630s – to help bring about.[2]
  • 1653 – to write for a publication.[6]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To give money, help or goods together with others for a common purpose.
  2. To help bring about a result; to be one of its causes: smoking contributed to his illness.
  3. To supply ideas or opinions to a discussion.
  4. To write articles for a newspaper or magazine.

Word family

  • contributive
  • contributively
  • contributiveness
  • contributor
  • contributable
  • uncontributed
  • overcontribute
  • noncontributing

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Contribute.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/contribute. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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