contribute

Etymology

PIE word *tréyes From Latin contribūtus, perfect passive participle of contribuō (“I bring together; I unite”), from con- (“together”) + tribuō (“I bestow”), from tribus (“tribe”), dative of trēs (“three”), from Proto-Italic *trēs, from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes.

verb

1. (transitive, intransitive) To give something that is or becomes part of a larger whole.
   to contribute money to a church fund
   to contribute articles to a journal
   Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola. A recent study explored the ecological variables that may contribute to bats’ propensity to harbor such zoonotic diseases by comparing them with another order of common reservoir hosts: rodents. 2013 May-June, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 193