bifurcation
English
Etymology
From bifurcate + -ion.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˌbaɪfəˈkeɪʃən/
- (US) enPR: bī'fər-kāʹshən, IPA(key): /ˌbaɪfɚˈkeɪʃən/
- Rhymes: -eɪʃən
Noun
bifurcation (countable and uncountable, plural bifurcations)
- (biology) A division into two branches.
- (by extension) Any place where one thing divides into two.
- The act of bifurcating; branching or dividing in two.
- Either of the forks or other branches resultant from such a division.
- (geography) A place where two roads, tributaries etc. part or meet.
- (nautical) The point where a channel divides when proceeding from seaward.
- (mathematics) The change in the qualitative or topological structure of a given family as described by bifurcation theory.
- (computer science) A command that executes one block or other of commands depending on the result of a condition.
Synonyms
- (division into two branches): branched, branching, forked, forking
Derived terms
- bifurcation theory
- postbifurcation
- prebifurcation
Related terms
- bifurcate
- trifurcation
- quadfurcation
Translations
biology: division into two branches
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any place where one divides into two
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either of the two resulting forks
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act of bifurcating
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a place where two roads, tributaries etc. part or meet
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mathematics
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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French
Etymology
bifurquer + -tion, Medieval Latin bifurcus (“two-spronged”).
Pronunciation
Audio (file)
Noun
bifurcation f (plural bifurcations)
- a bifurcation, where two roads etc. part or meet
Related terms
- bifurquer (verb)
Further reading
- “bifurcation”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.