What does tributary mean?

A tributary is part of a river basin.

1 . Definition of a tributary

A tributary is defined as a river or stream that flows into a larger river or a lake. The point where the two rivers meet is known as the confluence.

2 . Types of tributaries

Tributaries can be of two kinds:

• Tributary: as defined above.
• Distributary: a stream that branches off and flows away from the main river. They are not present in all river basins and may be natural or man-made (the latter is more common).