trifurcate

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

verb (used without object)

trifurcated, trifurcating 

1. to divide into three forks or branches.

adjective

1. Also trifurcated. divided into three forks or branches.

trifurcate

/ -ˌkeɪt, ˈtraɪfɜːkɪt /

adjective

1. having three branches or forks

Other Word Forms

• trifurcation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of trifurcate¹

First recorded in 1650–60; tri-, furcate

Word History and Origins

Origin of trifurcate¹

from Latin trifurcus , from _tri- + furca a fork

Example Sentences

And they’ll have to maintain that fitness through an unusually long, trifurcated and exhausting season that will feature as many as 22 pre-World Cup games, the World Cup, then five more months of club matches.

From Los Angeles Times

There is an additional person to trifurcate bills.

From Washington Post

Bertelsen has a trifurcated theory for how unscripted projects came to exert so much influence.

From Washington Post

"Happily, the plague-driven paranoia only accounts for about one-third of the deeply trifurcated story, but it's enough to occasionally leave a world-weary viewer wishing to spend time elsewhere."

From BBC

Perhaps the answer is to replicate that model for the rest of Iraq, to create a trifurcated nation rather than the currently bifurcated one.

From New York Times

When To Use

What does trifurcate mean?

Trifurcate means to divide or fork into three branches.Things can trifurcate on their own or in an otherwise passive way, as in That’s where the river trifurcates into three branches, or they can be trifurcated by someone, as in We trifurcated the road into three lanes so more people could exit at once. The word trifurcate can be used as an adjective meaning divided into three branches, but the adjective trifurcated is more commonly used in this way. The word trifurcation refers to the act of trifurcating or something that is trifurcated. These terms are most often used in technical and scientific contexts, such as engineering and medicine.The related and more common word bifurcate means to divide or fork into two branches.Example: The hiking trail trifurcates after about four miles, so make sure you go down the middle path and not the ones on the right or left.