branch

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branch / branch/ • n. a part of a tree that grows out from the trunk or from a bough. ∎  a lateral extension or subdivision extending from the main part of something, typically one extending from a river, road, or railway: a branch of the Susquehanna River. ∎  a division or office of a large business or organization, operating locally or having a particular function: he went to work at our Boston branch. ∎  a conceptual subdivision of something, esp. a family, group of languages, or a subject: a branch of mathematics called graph theory. ∎ Comput. a control structure in which one of several alternative sets of program statements is selected for execution.• v. [intr.] (of a road or path) divide. ∎  (of a tree or plant) bear or send out branches. ∎  (branch off) diverge from the main route or part: the road branched off at the town. ∎  (branch out) extend or expand one's activities or interests in a new direction: the company is branching out into Europe.DERIVATIVES: branch·let / -lit/ n.branch·like adj.branch·y adj.

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