bifurcate

[verb, adjective bahy-fer-keyt, bahy-fur-keyt; adjective bahy-fer-kit, bahy-fur-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bifurcate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with or without object), bi·fur·cat·ed, bi·fur·cat·ing.

to divide or fork into two branches.

adjective

divided into two branches.

Origin of bifurcate

1605–15; < Medieval Latin bifurcātus, past participle of bifurcāre (bi- bi-¹ + furc(a) fork + -ātus -ate¹)

Related formsbi·fur·cate·ly

[bahy-fer-keyt-lee; bahy-fur-keyt-lee, -kit-] /ˌbaɪ fərˈkeɪt li; baɪˈfɜr keɪt li, -kɪt-/, adverbbi·fur·ca·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for bifurcate

fork, ramify, divide, separate, bisect, diverge, branch, split, furcate

Examples from the Web for bifurcate

Contemporary Examples of bifurcate

Moreover, Ma'aleh Adumim was built where it is exactly to bifurcate the West Bank.
A Bogus Defense Of E1 Construction
Ali Gharib
December 4, 2012

Historical Examples of bifurcate

Bifurcate, twice forked; or more commonly, forked into two branches.
The Elements of Botany
Asa Gray
The marginal spine next above the pedunculated operculum, bifurcate.
Narrative Of The Voyage Of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By The Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During The Years 1846-1850. Including Discoveries And Surveys In New Guinea, The Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. To Which Is Added The Account Of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition For The Exploration Of The Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist To The Expedition. In Two Volumes. Volume 1.
John MacGillivray
The largest class comprises those with the bifurcate spout, which serves at the same time for a handle.
The Ceramic Art
Jennie J. Young
From the single vessel with bifurcate spout we may pass to others in which there are two openings joined together by a handle.
The Ceramic Art
Jennie J. Young
The flaking used to bifurcate the stem appears to be of the same type as that used to bevel the stem edges.
Handbook of Alabama Archaeology: Part I Point Types
James W. Cambron

British Dictionary definitions for bifurcate

bifurcate

verb (ˈbaɪfəˌkeɪt)

to fork or divide into two parts or branches

adjective (ɪbaɪˈfəˌkeɪt, -kɪt)

forked or divided into two sections or branches

Derived Formsbifurcation, noun

Word Origin for bifurcate

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bifurcate

1610s, from Medieval Latin bifurcatus, from Latin bi- (see bi-) + furca, the root of fork. Related: Bifurcated; bifurcating.

adj.

1835, from Medieval Latin bifurcatus, from Latin bi- (see bi-) + furca, the root of fork (n.).

bifurcate in Medicine

bifurcate

[bī′fər-kāt′, bī-fûr′-]

v.

To divide into two parts or branches.

adj.

Forked or divided into two parts or branches.

bifurcate in Science

bifurcate

[bī′fər-kāt′, bī-fûr′-]

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