branch
branch
(brănch) noun
Abbr. br.
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. Chiefly Southern U.S.. See branch water. d. 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.
verb
branched, branching, branches
verb
, intransitive
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 scientific fields.
3. Computer Science. To relinquish control to another set of instructions or another routine as a result of the presence of a branch.
verb
, transitive
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.]
branch
ʹless adjective
branch
ʹy adjective
Synonyms:
branch, arm, fork, offshoot. The central meaning shared by these nouns is "something resembling or structurally analogous 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.