arborescent
UK /ɑːbəˈɹɛsənt/ · US /ɑːɹbəˈɹɛsənt/ adjective
- adjective Like a tree; having a structure or appearance similar to that of a tree; branching.
- adjective (philosophy) Marked by insistence on totalizing principles, binarism and dualism (as opposed to the rhizome theory). “Gilles Deleuze criticizes the Chomsky hierarchy of formal languages, which he considers a perfect example of arborescent dualistic theory.”
Synonyms
arboreal arboreous arboresque arboriform dendriform dendroid dendroidal treelike tree-shaped
Etymology
From Latin arborēscēns, present active participle of arborēscō (“become a tree”). First attested around 1675. The philosophical sense refers to the way genealogy trees are drawn.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Resembling a tree; becoming woody in stalk; dendritic; having crystallizations disposed like the branches and twigs of a tree.
Etymology [L. arborescens, p. pr. of arborescere to become a tree, fr. arbor tree.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “arborescent”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details