The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Tribute \Trib"ute\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Tributed; p. pr. & vb.
   n. Tributing.]
   To pay as tribute. [R.] --Whitlock (1654).
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Tribute \Trib"ute\, n. [OE. tribut, L. tributum, fr. tribuere,
   tributum, to bestow, grant, pay, allot, assign, originally,
   to a tribe, from tribus tribe; cf. F. tribut. See Tribe,
   and cf. Attribute, Contribute.]
   1. An annual or stated sum of money or other valuable thing,
      paid by one ruler or nation to another, either as an
      acknowledgment of submission, or as the price of peace and
      protection, or by virtue of some treaty; as, the Romans
      made their conquered countries pay tribute.
      [1913 Webster]

            Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute.
                                                  --C. C.
                                                  Pinckney.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. A personal contribution, as of money, praise, service,
      etc., made in token of services rendered, or as that which
      is due or deserved; as, a tribute of affection.
      [1913 Webster]

            Implores the passing tribute of a sigh. --Gray.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. (Mining) A certain proportion of the ore raised, or of its
      value, given to the miner as his recompense. --Pryce.
      Tomlinson.
      [1913 Webster]

   Tribute money, money paid as a tribute or tax.

   Tribute pitch. (Mining) See under Tributer. [Eng.]
      [1913 Webster]

   Syn: See Subsidy.
        [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

tribute
    n 1: something given or done as an expression of esteem [syn:
         tribute, testimonial]
    2: payment by one nation for protection by another
    3: payment extorted by gangsters on threat of violence; "every
       store in the neighborhood had to pay him protection" [syn:
       protection, tribute]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

172 Moby Thesaurus words for "tribute":
   Christmas present, acclaim, acclamation, accolade, account,
   acknowledgment, adulation, allowance, anniversaries, apotheosis,
   appreciation, assessment, award, bepraisement, bill,
   birthday present, blackmail, blood money, box, by-line, cadeau,
   call, call for, celebrating, celebration, ceremony, cess, charge,
   citation, claim, commemoration, commendation, compliment,
   confession, congratulation, conscience money, contribution,
   credit line, deification, demand, demand for, direct tax, draft,
   drain, dressing ship, dues, duty, eloge, emolument, encomium,
   esteem, eulogium, eulogy, exaction, exaltation, excessive praise,
   excise, extortion, extortionate demand, fairing, fanfare,
   fanfaronade, fee, festivity, flattery, flourish of trumpets,
   footing, gift, glorification, glory, graduated taxation, handsel,
   heavy demand, hero worship, holiday, homage, hommage, honor,
   honorable mention, hush money, idolatry, idolizing, imposition,
   impost, indent, indirect tax, initiation fee, insistent demand,
   joint return, jubilee, kudos, laud, laudation, levy, lionizing,
   magnification, marking the occasion, meed of praise,
   memorialization, memory, mention, mileage, monument,
   nonnegotiable demand, notice, oblation, observance, offering,
   order, ovation, overpraise, paean, panegyric, payment,
   peace offering, praise, present, presentation, progressive tax,
   ransom, reckoning, recognition, reference, rejoicing,
   religious rites, remembrance, requirement, requisition, respect,
   retainer, retaining fee, revel, rite, ritual observance, rush,
   rush order, salutation, salute, salvo, scot, separate returns,
   signature, single tax, solemn observance, solemnization, stipend,
   supertax, surcharge, surtax, tariff, tax, tax base, tax dodging,
   tax evasion, tax exemption, tax return, tax structure,
   tax withholding, tax-exempt status, taxable income, taxation,
   taxing, testimonial, testimonial banquet, testimonial dinner,
   tithe, toast, toll, trademark, triumph, ultimatum, warning



Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary:

Tribute
   a tax imposed by a king on his subjects (2 Sam. 20:24; 1 Kings
   4:6; Rom. 13:6). In Matt. 17:24-27 the word denotes the temple
   rate (the "didrachma," the "half-shekel," as rendered by the
   R.V.) which was required to be paid for the support of the
   temple by every Jew above twenty years of age (Ex. 30:12; 2
   Kings 12:4; 2 Chr. 24:6, 9). It was not a civil but a religious
   tax.

     In Matt. 22:17, Mark 12:14, Luke 20:22, the word may be
   interpreted as denoting the capitation tax which the Romans
   imposed on the Jewish people. It may, however, be legitimately
   regarded as denoting any tax whatever imposed by a foreign power
   on the people of Israel. The "tribute money" shown to our Lord
   (Matt. 22:19) was the denarius, bearing Caesar's superscription.
   It was the tax paid by every Jew to the Romans. (See PENNY.)