bifurcate
v.v. to divide or split into two separate branches or parts. You use this when a road, a river, or even a plan breaks into two different directions.
v. to divide or fork into two branches or parts. Often used in technical or formal contexts to describe physical structures or abstract systems that split.
The hiking trail will bifurcate just past the large oak tree.
The main river begins to bifurcate as it approaches the delta, creating several smaller streams that flow into the sea.
The legal argument began to bifurcate, with one branch focusing on procedural errors and the other addressing the substantive constitutional challenges raised by the defense.
Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin bifurcātus. Surface Analysis bi- + furcate.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The verb can be used both transitively and intransitively.
- Verbbifurcate
- Nounbifurcation
- Adjectivebifurcated
Last updated July 31, 2026