DEFINITIONS
The
2019 WORD
OF THE YEAR is...

ramification

[ ram-uh-fi-key-shuh n ]
/ ˌræm ə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR ramification ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or process of ramifying.
a branch: ramifications of a nerve.
a related or derived subject, problem, etc.; outgrowth; consequence; implication: The new tax law proved to have many ramifications unforeseen by the lawmakers.
Botany.
  1. a structure formed of branches.
  2. a configuration of branching parts.

Words related to ramification

consequence, upshot, complication, subdivision, extension, division, outgrowth, sequel, partition, radiation, excrescence, branch, offshoot, divarication, breaking, result, branching, bifurcation

Words nearby ramification

ramequin, rameses, ramet, rami, ramie, ramification, ramiform, ramify, ramillies, ramisection, ramitis

Origin of ramification

1670–80; < Middle French < Medieval Latin rāmificāt(us) (past participle of rāmificāre to ramify) + Middle French -ion -ion
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for ramification

British Dictionary definitions for ramification

ramification
/ (ˌræmɪfɪˈkeɪʃən) /

noun

the act or process of ramifying or branching out
an offshoot or subdivision
(often plural) a subsidiary consequence, esp one that complicates
a structure of branching parts
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

Medical definitions for ramification

ramification
[ răm′ə-fĭ-kā′shən ]

n.

A branching shape or arrangement.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.