Branches

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbɹænt͡ʃɪz/

Definitions

1. Parts of a tree that extend outward from the main trunk
2. Extensions of a tree that grow out from the main stem ; separate sections or departments within a larger organization or system
3. Wooded arms that protrude from a tree's main body ; distinct parts or units of an established entity or network

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "branch" is that its earliest recorded ancestor meant a footprint. Medieval Latin speakers used "branca" for the mark a foot leaves behind, and only later did the word stretch to cover a paw or claw. The shift from track to twig is not obvious, but the sense of a limb reaching out from a central trunk, like a foot splaying across the ground, may explain the jump. The word reached Middle English from Old French "branche" and "branke," which descended from that Late Latin "branca." German shares the family through "Pranke," meaning paw, a sign that the connection to animal feet ran across several languages. Its exact origin is unknown, though some scholars suggest a Celtic source, a hypothetical Gaulish form "*vranca." Plural "branches" is simply the regular plural of "branch," so its history is the same as the noun's.

Synonyms: limbs, boughs, shoots

Antonyms: trunk