n. A branch of a river delta; a channel that distributes a river's waters into the sea, as with the Atchafalaya River of the Mississippi.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
adj. Tending to distribute or be distributed; that distributes; distributive.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
Distributing; distributive; designed for distribution.
n. In physical geography, an outflowing branch of a river, such as occurs characteristically on a delta.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. a branch of a river that flows away from the main stream and does not rejoin it
Word Usage
"Muddy floodwaters rise and spread over deltaic wetlands from main and so-called distributary channels, transporting mass and energy laterally across the delta, in essence nourishing the landscape."