“branches” is a form of
branch
UK /bɹɑːnt͡ʃ/ · US /bɹænt͡ʃ/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms branches branching branched braunch
- noun The woody part of a tree arising from the trunk and usually dividing.
- noun Any of the parts of something that divides like the branch of a tree. “the branch of an antler, a chandelier, or a railway”
- noun (chiefly Southern US) A creek or stream which flows into a larger river. “branch water”
- noun (geometry) One of the portions of a curve that extends outwards to an indefinitely great distance. “the branches of a hyperbola”
- noun A location of an organization with several locations. “Our main branch is downtown, and we have branches in all major suburbs.”
- noun A line of family descent, in distinction from some other line or lines from the same stock; any descendant in such a line. “the English branch of a family”
- noun (Mormonism) A local congregation of the LDS Church that is not large enough to form a ward; see Wikipedia article on ward in LDS church.
- noun An area in business or of knowledge, research.
- verb (intransitive) To arise from the trunk or a larger branch of a tree.
- verb (intransitive) To produce branches.
- verb (ambitransitive) To (cause to) divide into separate parts or subdivisions.
- verb (intransitive, computing) To jump to a different location in a program, especially as the result of a conditional statement.
- verb (transitive) To strip of branches.
- verb (transitive, colloquial) To discipline (a union member) at a branch meeting.
- proper noun A surname from Old French.
- proper noun A tiny city in Franklin County, Arkansas.
- proper noun An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Acadia Parish, Louisiana.
- proper noun An unincorporated community in Sweetwater Township, Lake County, Michigan.
- proper noun An unincorporated community in Camden County, Missouri.
- proper noun An unincorporated community in Collin County, Texas.
Synonyms
arm bough grain limb tiller tillow twig tree ramify subdivision leg ramification outgrowth offshoot offset fork furcate separate
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English branche, braunche, bronche, from Old French branche, branke, from Late Latin branca (“footprint”, later also “paw, claw”) (whence Middle High German pranke, German Pranke (“paw”)), of unknown origin.
Perhaps of Celtic origin, from a hypothetical Gaulish *vranca, from Proto-Indo-European *wrónk-eh₂. If so, then Indo-European cognates include Old Norse rá, vró (“angle, corner”), and possibly Lithuanian rankà (“hand”), Old Church Slavonic рѫка (rǫka, “hand”), Albanian rangë (“yardwork”).
The verb is from Middle English braunchen, from the noun.
Surname derived from the noun branch. In addition to being a native English surname, the noun has also been calqued from the word for "branch" in other languages, such as German Zweig, Swedish gren, etc.
The name of the town in Newfoundland is likely derived from French Branch (“a surname”) or Branche.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A shoot or secondary stem growing from the main stem, or from a principal limb or bough of a tree or other plant.
- noun Any division extending like a branch; any arm or part connected with the main body of thing; ramification; as, the branch of an antler; the branch of a chandelier; a branch of a river; a branch of a railway.
- adjective Diverging from, or tributary to, a main stock, line, way, theme, etc.; as, a branch vein; a branch road or line; a branch topic; a branch store.
- verb To shoot or spread in branches; to separate into branches; to ramify.
Etymology [OE. braunche, F. branche, fr. LL. branca claw of a bird or beast of prey; cf. Armor. brank branch, bough.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “branch”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details