branch

The word “branch” means a woody offshoot growing from the trunk or a larger limb of a tree. In plain terms, a part that grows or splits off from a main thing — a tree limb, a local office, or a subdivision of a subject.

“Branch” is pronounced brahnch (/bɹænt͡ʃ/ in IPA).

Here is “branch” used in a sentence: “A low branch scraped the roof of the car as we drove down the lane.”

Words with a similar meaning to “branch” include ramify.

The opposite of “branch” — its antonyms — is crotch.

Depending on how it is used, “branch” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “branch” comes from Late Latin. From Old French branche, from Late Latin branca ("paw, claw") — the word originally pictured a tree limb reaching out like a claw.

“Branch” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

A branch is a larger woody limb growing from the trunk or from a bigger limb of a tree. A twig is a small, thin shoot at the outer end of a branch, usually bearing leaves or buds. In short, twigs are the slender tips; branches are the sturdier structures that hold them.

A bough is one of the main, large branches growing directly from the trunk of a tree. Branch is the more general word, covering limbs of any size, from thick boughs down to smaller offshoots. Every bough is a branch, but not every branch is large enough to be called a bough.

Beyond trees, a branch is a local office or division of a larger organisation, such as a bank branch. It also means a subdivision of a subject or family — a branch of science, or of a family tree — and a smaller stream that splits from a river. All echo the idea of dividing outward.

The limb a bird perches on or a swing hangs from is a branch of a tree. Figuratively, 'the company's Leeds branch' is a local office, and 'a branch of mathematics' is a subdivision of the subject. Each grows out from a larger main body, just as a limb grows from a trunk.