tribute

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈtɹɪbjuːt/ (UK); /ˈtɹɪbjut/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English tribit, tribute, borrowed from Old French tribut and directly borrowed from Latin tribūtum (“a thing contributed or paid”),^[2][3][4] the noun use of the neuter past participle of tribuere (“to pay, assign, grant”),^[2][3][5] from tribus (“tribe”) (see tribe); the verb is thought to have meant originally to divide among the tribes.^[4][6][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A tax paid by one ruler or state to another in acknowledgment of submission or for protection: about 1350 in Barnhart, 1340–70 in the OED, the mid-14th century in Etymonline.^[2][7][3]

Semantic evolution

The obligation of paying tribute, subjection, is from 1377.^[7] The figurative sense, an offering or gift showing respect or affection, is first recorded in 1585.^[2][7][3] Something that testifies to the worth of a person, as in a tribute to his skill, is from 1926.^[7] In Cornish mining, tribute was the share of ore paid to the miners or owners (1778).^[7] A tribute band imitates a famous group.^[8] Tributary, paying tribute, is from the 14th century, and a river flowing into another from the 19th.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 1350 – tax paid to a ruler.^[2]
• 1377 – subjection.^[7]
• 1585 – a token of respect.^[2][7]
• 1778 – in mining.^[7]
• 1926 – a testimony to.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. An act, statement or gift that shows respect, gratitude or admiration.
2. Evidence of the worth of something: a tribute to her skill.
3. (historical) A payment made by one ruler or state to another as a sign of submission or for protection.

Related words

• tribal
• tribe
• tributary
• attribute
• contribute
• distribute

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins