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A branch of a river delta; a channel that distributes a rivers waters into the sea, as with the Atchafalaya River of the Mississippi.
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distributary
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Distributary — Dis*trib u*ta*ry, a. Tending to distribute or be distributed; that distributes; distributive. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
distributary — [di strib′yo͞o ter΄ē] n. pl. distributaries [< DISTRIBUTE, by analogy with TRIBUTARY] any branch of a river that flows away from the main stream and does not rejoin it … English World dictionary
Distributary — A distributary, or a distributary channel, is a stream that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel. They are a common feature of river deltas. The phenomenon is known as river bifurcation. The opposite of a distributary is a… … Wikipedia
distributary — [ streams ] a) A divergent stream flowing away from the main stream and not returning to it, as in a delta or on a flood plain. It may be produced by stream deposition choking the original channel. b) One of the channels of a braided… … Glossary of landform and geologic terms
distributary — noun (plural taries) Date: 1863 a river branch flowing away from the main stream … New Collegiate Dictionary
distributary — 1) a diverging stream which does not return to the main stream but into another water body 2) a channel taking water from a canal for irrigation … Dictionary of ichthyology
distributary — /di strib yoo ter ee/, n., pl. distributaries. an outflowing branch of a stream or river, typically found in a delta (opposed to tributary). [1535 45; DISTRIBUTE + ARY] * * * … Universalium
distributary — a stream which splits away from the main channel and never rejoins it. Common across deltas as they are so close to the sea that the channel has no space to find its way back. When a channel does rejoin the main stream, it is braided … Geography glossary
distributary — dis·trib·u·tar·y || dɪ strɪbjÊŠtÉ™rɪ n. side stream of a river that leads water away from the main one … English contemporary dictionary
distributary — [dɪ strɪbjʊt(ə)ri] noun (plural distributaries) a branch of a river that does not return to the main stream after leaving it (as in a delta) … English new terms dictionary
