branching

British  

/ ˈbrɑːntʃɪŋ /

noun

1. physics the occurrence of several decay paths ( branches ) in the disintegration of a particular nuclide or the de-excitation of an excited atom. The branching fraction (nuclear) or branching ratio (atomic) is the proportion of the disintegrating nuclei that follow a particular branch to the total number of disintegrating nuclides

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Example Sentences

The Ledi Geraru findings add to a growing picture of early human evolution as a crowded, branching story.

From Science Daily • May 16, 2026

But the case is branching off into some new directions.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

While the Beijing-based company has been embroiled in a range of legal and privacy rows linked to the social media app for years, its team has been busy branching out developing new cutting-edge products.

From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026

Each species on Earth can trace its roots back to the same cluster of ancestral organisms and occupies a distinct position on a single, complex, prolifically branching, unfathomably extensive and largely invisible tree of life.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

I’m branching out into variations: maps in people’s bodies, maps in animals, maps connecting two people together.

From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini

Related Words

• complication
• consequence
• upshot