branching
UK: ˈbrɑːntʃɪŋ | US: ˈbræntʃɪŋ
n. the act or process of dividing into branches
adj. having branches; diverging into multiple parts
The word "branching" derives from the Old French "branche" (meaning "limb of a tree"), which itself comes from Late Latin "branca" (originally "paw" or "foot," later extended to "branch"). The suffix "-ing" is an English derivational suffix used to form nouns (indicating action or result) or adjectives (describing a characteristic). The evolution reflects a shift from literal tree limbs to metaphorical divisions, such as in logic, computing, or biology.
The tree exhibited extensive branching after the rainy season.
The river's branching pathways made navigation difficult.
In computer science, branching determines the flow of a program.
The company is branching into new markets this year.
The neural network uses complex branching to process information.