Payments or gifts given to show respect, gratitude, or submission; or public expressions of respect for someone.
From Latin 'tributum' (payment) derived from 'tribuere' (to give or distribute). Originally meant a tax paid to Rome by conquered nations. The meaning evolved to include any respectful gift or acknowledgment.
In the Roman Empire, 'tributes' weren't just gifts—they were power. Conquered nations had to send tributes to Rome to acknowledge their defeat. This word literally encoded the empire's whole political system, which is why it evolved into 'tributary state' and still means showing submission or respect.
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