contributory
adjective/kənˈtrɪbjətəri/
/kənˈtrɪbjətɔːri/
[usually before noun]- helping to cause something
- Alcohol is a contributory factor in 10 per cent of all road accidents.
- Smoking is a contributory cause of many diseases.
- (British English) He was found guilty of contributory negligence (= that helped to cause an accident).
- involving payments from the people who will benefit
- a contributory pension scheme/plan (= paid for by both employers and employees)
- contributory benefits (= ones that you make payments for)
Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘contributing to a fund’): from medieval Latin contributorius, from Latin contribut- ‘added’, from the verb contribuere, from con- ‘with’ + tribuere ‘bestow’.
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contributory