bifurcate

[bahy-fer-keyt, bahy-fur-keyt, bahy-fer-kit, bahy-fur-]

verb (used with or without object)

bifurcated, bifurcating 

1. to divide or fork into two branches.

adjective

1. divided into two branches.

bifurcate

verb

1. to fork or divide into two parts or branches

adjective

1. forked or divided into two sections or branches

bifurcate

1. Forked or divided into two parts or branches, as the Y-shaped styles of certain flowers or the tongues of snakes.

Other Word Forms

• bifurcately adverb
• bifurcation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bifurcate¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Medieval Latin bifurcātus “forked in two,” past participle of bifurcāre “to fork in two,” from bi- bi- ¹ ( def. ) + furc(a) fork ( def. ) + -āre, infinitive verb suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of bifurcate¹

C17: from Medieval Latin bifurcātus , from Latin bifurcus , from _bi- ¹ + furca fork

Example Sentences

But some companies cautioned that consumers are increasingly bifurcated, with high income households spending strongly while younger and lower-income consumers are under strain.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. has kept growing despite a “two-speed” or bifurcated economy — but any prolonged slump on Wall Street could threaten the status quo.

Read more on MarketWatch

“If you listen to the earnings calls or the reports of big, public consumer-facing companies, many of them are saying that there’s a bifurcated economy,” Powell said after last month’s Fed policy meeting.

Read more on Barron's

The oil complex is “grinding forward on a bifurcated narrative” of tight product supplies against “what’s supposed to be a looser crude market,” Neil Crosby of Sparta Commodities says in a note.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The entertainment industry has gotten really confusing and bifurcated.

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When To Use

What does bifurcate mean?

Birfurcate means to divide or fork into two branches.Things can bifurcate on their own or in an otherwise passive way, as in That’s where the river bifurcates into two branches, or they can be bifurcated by someone, as in We bifurcated the road into two lanes so more people could exit at once. The word bifurcate can be used as an adjective meaning divided into two branches, but the adjective bifurcated is more commonly used in this way. The word bifurcation refers to the act of bifurcating or something that is bifurcated. These terms are most often used in technical and scientific contexts, such as engineering and medicine.Example: The hiking trail bifurcates about three miles in, so make sure you go down the left branch.