tribute

tri·bute
T1R1I1B3U1T1E1
UK/ˈtɹɪbjuːt/US/ˈtɹɪbjut/

noun

An acknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift.

“Please accept this as a tribute of our thanks.”

Similar
testimonialencomiumheriotprotection
OriginMiddle English tribut ← Middle French tribut ← Latin tributum →
CommonScrabble 9
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Meanings

nountribute (countable and uncountable, plural tributes)

plural tributes

  1. countableuncountableAn acknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift.

    Please accept this as a tribute of our thanks.

    1 more example

    the passing tribute of a sigh

    1750 June 12 (date written; published 1751), T[homas] Gray, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”, in Designs by Mr. R[ichard] Bentley, for Six Poems by Mr. T. Gray, London: […] R[obert] Dodsley, […], published 1753, →OCLC

    Synonyms: testimonial

    1. countableuncountableAn homage made in a body of work to another work or creator.

      Did you catch the Up in Smoke tribute in that episode of That '70s Show?

      Synonyms: testimonial

  2. countableuncountableA payment made by one nation to another in submission.

    The Ancient Romans made their conquered countries pay tribute.

  3. countableuncountableExtortion; protection money.
  4. countableuncountableA payment made by a feudal vassal to his lord.
  5. countableuncountablebusinessA certain proportion of the mined ore, or of its value, given to the miner as payment.

    1852-1866, Charles Tomlinson, Cyclopaedia of Useful Arts and Manufactures Tut-work is also employed upon the lode itself, though from the advantages generally considered to arise from the tribute system […]

    1 more example

    The setting of a Copper Mine upon tribute , has this difference : the Tributor is at the sole expence of digging , raising , and dressing , all the Ore that can be made merchantable

    1778, William Pryce, Mineralogia Cornubiensis: A Treatise on Minerals, Mines, and Mining […]
  6. InternetabbreviationcountableellipsisuncountablevulgarEllipsis of cum tribute.
verbtribute (third-person singular simple present tributes, present participle tributing, simple past and past participle tributed)

present singular third person tributes · participle present tributing · participle past tributed · past tributed

  1. transitiveTo pay (something) as tribute.

    Amorous Trifler, that spendeth[…]his Afternoones in discourse with Paint, or Lust, tributing most precious Minutes, to the Scepter of a Fanne.

    1654, Richard Whitlock, Zootomia

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn acknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift.

Similar
testimonial

nounAn homage made in a body of work to another work or creator.

Similar
testimonial
Similar
encomiumheriot

More synonyms by meaning

nounsomething given or done as an expression of esteem

Similar
testimonial
Broader
approvalcommendation

nounpayment extorted by gangsters on threat of violence

Similar
protection
Broader
extortion
Also see
homagepaeanprotectionretrospectivetaxtestimonial

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latintributum“tribute”
  2. Middle Frenchtribut
  3. Middle Englishtribut
  4. Englishtribute

From Middle English tribut (14th c.), from Middle French tribut, from Latin tributum (“tribute”, literally “a thing contributed or paid”), past participle of tribuere (“to assign, allot”), usually derived from tribus (whence English tribe).

More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek φόρος
  • φόρος (phóros)payment made by one nation to another in submission
Arabic جِزْيَة, خَرَاج
  • جِزْيَة (jizya)payment made by one nation to another in submission
  • خَرَاج (ḵarāj)payment made by a feudal vassal to his lord
Bulgarian да́нък, дан
  • да́нък (dánăk)payment made by one nation to another in submission
  • дан (dan)payment made by one nation to another in submission
  • рекет (reket)extortion; protection money
  • дан (dan)acknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
  • дължи́мо (dălžímo)acknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
Catalan tribut, tribut
  • tributpayment made by one nation to another in submission
  • tributacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
  • homenatgeacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
Chinese Mandarin 貢品 /贡品, 朝貢 /朝贡
  • 貢品 /贡品 (gòngpǐn)payment made by one nation to another in submission
  • 朝貢 /朝贡 (cháogòng)payment made by one nation to another in submission
  • 保護費 /保护费 (bǎohùfèi)extortion; protection money
Czech daň, hold
  • daňpayment made by one nation to another in submission
  • holdacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
  • úctaacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
Dutch afdracht
  • afdrachtpayment made by a feudal vassal to his lord
Finnish pakkovero, tribuutti
  • pakkoveropayment made by one nation to another in submission
  • tribuuttipayment made by one nation to another in submission
  • suojelurahapayment made by one nation to another in submission
  • suojelurahaextortion; protection money
  • suojelurahapayment made by a feudal vassal to his lord
  • kunnianosoitusacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
French tribut, hommage
  • tributpayment made by one nation to another in submission
  • hommageacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
  • tributacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
German Tribut, Tribut
  • Tributpayment made by one nation to another in submission
  • Tributacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
Greek φόρος υποτέλειας, προστασία
  • φόρος υποτέλειας (fóros ypotéleias)payment made by one nation to another in submission
  • προστασία (prostasía)extortion; protection money
Hindi श्रद्धांजलि
  • श्रद्धांजलि (śraddhāñjli)acknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
Indonesian upeti
  • upetipayment made by one nation to another in submission
Irish ardchíos, ómós
  • ardchíospayment made by a feudal vassal to his lord
  • ómósacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
Italian tributo, omaggio
  • tributopayment made by one nation to another in submission
  • omaggioacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
Japanese 貢ぎ物, 貢ぎ
  • 貢ぎ物 (mitsugimono)payment made by one nation to another in submission
  • 貢ぎ (mitsugi)payment made by one nation to another in submission
  • 朝貢 (chōkō)payment made by one nation to another in submission
  • 貢ぎ物 (mitsugimono)payment made by a feudal vassal to his lord
  • 貢ぎ (mitsugi)payment made by a feudal vassal to his lord
  • オマージュ (omāju)acknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
Korean 조공
  • 조공 (jogong)payment made by one nation to another in submission
Latin stipendium, tribūtum
  • stipendiumpayment made by one nation to another in submission
  • tribūtumacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
Malay ufti
  • uftipayment made by one nation to another in submission
Māori whakamānawatanga
  • whakamānawatangaacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
Persian باج, ساو
  • باج (bâj)payment made by one nation to another in submission
  • ساو (sâv)payment made by one nation to another in submission
Polish danina, trybut
  • daninapayment made by one nation to another in submission
  • trybutpayment made by one nation to another in submission
  • daninapayment made by a feudal vassal to his lord
  • trybutpayment made by a feudal vassal to his lord
  • wyrazy uznaniaacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
  • hołdacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
Portuguese tributo, preito
  • tributopayment made by one nation to another in submission
  • preitopayment made by a feudal vassal to his lord
  • vassalagempayment made by a feudal vassal to his lord
  • tributopayment made by a feudal vassal to his lord
  • homenagemacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
Russian дань, по́дать
  • дань (danʹ)payment made by one nation to another in submission
  • по́дать (pódatʹ)payment made by one nation to another in submission
  • дань (danʹ)extortion; protection money
  • дань (danʹ)payment made by a feudal vassal to his lord
  • дань (danʹ)acknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
  • до́лжное (dólžnoje)acknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
Slovak daň, hold
  • daňpayment made by one nation to another in submission
  • holdacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
  • poctaacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
Spanish parias, tributo
  • pariaspayment made by one nation to another in submission
  • tributopayment made by one nation to another in submission
  • mitapayment made by one nation to another in submission
  • tributoacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
  • homenajeacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
  • tributarto pay (something) as tribute
Swahili kodi
  • kodipayment made by one nation to another in submission
Tamil கப்பம், திறை
  • கப்பம் (kappam)payment made by a feudal vassal to his lord
  • திறை (tiṟai)payment made by a feudal vassal to his lord
Ukrainian дани́на, по́дать
  • дани́на (danýna)payment made by one nation to another in submission
  • по́дать (pódatʹ)payment made by one nation to another in submission
  • пода́ток (podátok)payment made by one nation to another in submission
  • дань (danʹ)payment made by one nation to another in submission
  • дань (danʹ)payment made by a feudal vassal to his lord
  • дани́на (danýna)acknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
  • нале́жне (naléžne)acknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift
Vietnamese triều cống
  • triều cốngpayment made by one nation to another in submission
Welsh teyrnged
  • teyrngedacknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with tribute

attributedistribute
All rhymes →

Anagrams

turbiteburtite
Cite this entry
APA

tribute. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tribute

MLA

“tribute.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tribute. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tribute,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tribute.

Source: tribute on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.