bifurcate
verb (used with or without object), bi·fur·cat·ed, bi·fur·cat·ing.
adjective
Origin of bifurcate
OTHER WORDS FROM bifurcate
bi·fur·cate·ly [bahy-fer-keyt-lee; bahy-fur-keyt-lee, -kit-] /ˌbaɪ fərˈkeɪt li; baɪˈfɜr keɪt li, -kɪt-/, adverb bi·fur·ca·tion, nounWords nearby bifurcate
VOCAB BUILDER
What does bifurcation mean?
Bifurcation is the act of splitting something into two branches, or an example of a situation where something splits or there is a fork.
Bifurcation is based on the verb bifurcate, which means to divide or fork into two branches. These words are most often used in technical and scientific contexts, such as engineering and medicine.
Example: The hiking trail has a bifurcation about three miles in; make sure you go down the left branch.
Where does bifurcation come from?
The first records of bifurcation come from the 1600s. It is the noun form of the verb bifurcate, which comes from the Medieval Latin bifurcātus, formed from the prefix bi-, meaning “two,” and the root furc(a), meaning “fork” (as in a fork in the road or a river).
You wouldn’t normally call a fork in a road a bifurcation, unless you wanted to sound overly technical. But scientists use that word for a fork in a river. It is used in many contexts in which such structures are discussed in technical or scientific terms. Bifurcations can be found throughout nature in things like Y-shaped flowers, the tongues of snakes, even parts of the human body that fork into different channels, such as the arteries of the heart.
Bifurcation can also refer to the action of splitting something into two. The term is used in different ways in the fields of mathematics, chemistry, and engineering, among others.
Bifurcations can also happen to entities like organizations or governments that are split into different parts or factions. In golf, bifurcation refers to the proposal to have different equipment for professional and amateur players.
Things don’t always fork into two—they can also branch out in furcations or trifurcations.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to bifurcation?
- bifurcate (verb)
- bifurcated (adjective)
What are some synonyms for bifurcation?
What are some words that share a root or word element with bifurcation?
What are some words that often get used in discussing bifurcation?
How is bifurcation used in real life?
Bifurcation is almost always used in technical or scientific contexts, especially biology, medicine, and engineering.
This is how Ucayali River bifurcation from 1985 to 2013 has worked pic.twitter.com/JMl9e96ddv
— How Things Work (@ThingsWork) June 2, 2017
When dissecting the #carotid for #carotidendarterectomy watch for the vagus in the carotid sheath and hypoglossal N. just above the carotid bifurcation. Marginal mandibular N. is usually a victim of the retractor 🙂 pic.twitter.com/w2XrzHgrDP
— Angio Pod (@AngioPod) March 3, 2020
I only just noticed this gigantic tree has a bifurcation about 20 feet up! pic.twitter.com/qmnSENWHv0
— Amateur Mycologist (@AmateurMyco) February 25, 2020
Try using bifurcation!
Which of the following things would be likely to have a bifurcation in it?
A. a tree branch
B. an artery
C. a river
D. all of the above