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支流(英语:Tributary、Affluent[1]、Confluent[2]),是指汇入干流或其他水体,而不直接入海的河流或溪流。[3]支流与干流共同组成一条河流的水系;两条或多条河流的交会处称为合流(英语:Confluence)或汇流处,而与支流相反的概念是分流——离开干流,独自入海的河流。[4]支流的变种再合支流(英语:Anabranch)相似但有别于分流,前者亦从干流中岔出,然而在行进一段距离后便会再次汇入干流。
A tributary[5] or affluent[6] is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake.[7] A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater, leading the water out into an ocean.
A confluence, where two or more bodies of water meet together, usually refers to the joining of tributaries.
The opposite to a tributary is a distributary, a river or stream that branches off from and flows away from the main stream.[8] Distributaries are most often found in river deltas.