Branching

branch  (brnch)

n.

1.

a. A secondary woody stem or limb growing from the trunk or main stem of a tree or shrub or from another secondary limb.

b. A lateral division or subdivision of certain other plant parts, such as a root or flower cluster.

2. Something that resembles a branch of a tree, as in form or function, as:

a. A secondary outgrowth or subdivision of a main axis, such as the tine of a deer's antlers.

b. Anatomy An offshoot or a division of the main portion of a structure, especially that of a nerve, blood vessel, or lymphatic vessel; a ramus.

3. A limited part of a larger or more complex unit or system, especially:

a. An area of specialized skill or knowledge, especially academic or vocational, that is related to but separate from other areas: the judicial branch of government; the branch of medicine called neurology.

b. A division of a business or other organization.

c. A division of a family, categorized by descent from a particular ancestor.

d. Linguistics A subdivision of a family of languages, such as the Germanic branch of Indo-European.

4.

a. A tributary of a river.

b. Chiefly Southern U.S. See creek. See Regional Note at run.

c. A divergent section of a river, especially near the mouth.

5. Mathematics A part of a curve that is separated, as by discontinuities or extreme points.

6. Computer Science

a. A sequence of program instructions to which the normal sequence of instructions relinquishes control, depending on the value of certain variables.

b. The instructions executed as the result of such a passing of control.

v. branched, branch·ing, branch·es

v.intr.

1. To put forth a branch or branches; spread by dividing.

2.

a. To come forth as a branch or subdivision; develop or diverge from: an unpaved road that branches from the main road; a theory that branches from an older system of ideas.

b. To enlarge the scope of one's interests, business, or activities: branch out from physics into related fields.

3. Computer Science To relinquish control to another set of instructions or another routine as a result of the presence of a branch.

v.tr.

1. To separate (something) into or as if into branches.

2. To embroider (something) with a design of foliage or flowers.

---

[Middle English, from Old French branche, from Late Latin branca, paw, perhaps of Celtic origin.]

---

branchless adj.

branchy adj.

Synonyms: branch, arm¹, fork, offshoot
These nouns denote something resembling or structurally similar to a limb of a tree: a branch of a railroad; an arm of the sea; the western fork of the river; an offshoot of a mountain range.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	branching - the act of branching out or dividing into branches ramification, fork, forking division - the act or process of dividing bifurcation - the act of splitting into two branches trifurcation - the act of splitting into three branches divarication - branching at a wide angle fibrillation - act or process of forming fibrils
Adj.	1.	branching - having branches ramate, ramose, ramous, branched branchy - having many branches; "a branchy tree trunk"
	2.	branching - resembling the branches of a tree diverging, divergent - tending to move apart in different directions