Meanings
comparative more contributory · superlative most contributory
- Of, pertaining to, or involving a contribution.
- Tending to contribute to a result.
- obsoletePaying tribute, tributary.
My Lord the great Commander of the worlde, Besides fifteene contributory kings, Hath now in armes ten thouſand Ianiſaries, Mounted on luſty Mauritanian Steeds, […]
c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene iii
plural contributories
- A person or thing that contributes.
1 more example
The response to firing is remarkable, and though the 280 lb. pressure seems more in the nature of a reserve for emergencies than a continuous working figure, even with the present-day apology for coal it seldom fell below 250 lb., and could always be brought up to blowing-off point with little difficulty. To this liveliness of steaming the thermic syphons are doubtless the chief contributory.
1947 January and February, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 39
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivetending to bring about; being partly responsible for
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishcontributarie
- Englishcontributory
From earlier contributary, from Middle English contributarie, from con- + tributarie after Middle French contributaire.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Norwegian Bokmål medvirkende
- medvirkendecontributing to a result
Russian способствующий, сотрудничающий
- способствующий (sposobstvujuščij)contributing to a result
- сотрудничающий (sotrudničajuščij)contributing to a result
- содействующий (sodejstvujuščij)contributing to a result
Cite this entry
contributory. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contributory
“contributory.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contributory. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “contributory,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contributory.
Source: contributory on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.