Etymologically
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tribute

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 12:31. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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.

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