Other forms: tributes
A tribute is payment made by a weaker state to a stronger one. Pay tribute, demand tribute, tribute in gold.
It bought peace rather than goods, which is what distinguishes it from tax or trade — tribute is protection money between states. The modern sense is a mark of respect: a tribute band, pay tribute to. Note that the Latin means a thing paid, from tribuere, to allot.
1nountributePayment made by a weaker state to a stronger one.
“The conquered cities had to send tribute of gold and grain to the emperor every year.”
2nounmarkA mark of respect.
“The band played a song as a tribute to their friend who had died.”
tribute is a payment, or a mark of respect.
The Latin is to hand out, the same handing out in contribute. A tribute is what the weaker one hands over to the stronger.
hooks ontocontribute
Latin tributum means a thing paid, from tribuere, to allot. Attribute, contribute and tribe come from the same allotting.
Proto-Indo-European
*bʰuH-
Latin
tribūtum
Middle French
tribut
Middle English
tribut
English, today
tribute
Built from
From Middle English tribut, from Middle French tribut, from Latin tribūtum. From Middle English tribut (14th c.), from Middle French tribut, from Latin tributum (“tribute”) literally “a thing contributed or paid”, past participle of tribuo (“to assign, allot”), usually derived from tribus (“tribe”, which see).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA