bifurcate

American  

[bahy-fer-keyt, bahy-fur-keyt, bahy-fer-kit, bahy-fur-] / ˈbaɪ fərˌkeɪt, baɪˈfɜr keɪt, ˈbaɪ fər kɪt, baɪˈfɜr- /

verb (used with or without object)

bifurcated, bifurcating

1. to divide or fork into two branches.

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adjective

1. divided into two branches.

bifurcate British  

verb

1. to fork or divide into two parts or branches

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adjective

1. forked or divided into two sections or branches

bifurcate Scientific  

/ bī′fər-kāt′,bī-fûr′- /

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

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

• bifurcately
  adverb
• bifurcation
  noun

Etymology

Origin of bifurcate

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

Explanation

When you're walking through the woods, you sometimes see the path bifurcate, or split in two directions, and have to choose which way to continue. Bifurcate means "to divide into two branches." If you want to impress your friend (or annoy them) with your knowledge of big words, you can point out the place where "the river bifurcates", or the way tree branches "bifurcate again and again". Really what you're describing is anything that splits into forks or branches. The Latin root of bifurcate adds the prefix bi, or "two", to the word "furca", or fork.

Example Sentences

There is a phenomenon I have named the "Outrage Enrage Bifurcate".

From Salon • Aug. 11, 2023

Bifurcate, twice forked; or more commonly, forked into two branches.

From The Elements of Botany For Beginners and For Schools by Gray, Asa

Bifurcate, bī-fur′kāt, Bifurcated, bī-fur′kāt-ed, adj. two-forked; having two prongs or branches.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Bifurcate: divided, not over half its length, into two dull points; forked.

From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.