bifurcate

[ verb adjective bahy-fer-keyt, bahy-fur-keyt; adjective bahy-fer-kit, bahy-fur- ]

verb (used with or without object)

, bi·fur·cat·ed, bi·fur·cat·ing.

1. to divide or fork into two branches.

adjective

1. divided into two branches.

bifurcate

verb

1. to fork or divide into two parts or branches

adjective

1. forked or divided into two sections or branches

bifurcate

/ bī′fər-kāt′,bī-fûr′- /

1. Forked or divided into two parts or branches, as the Y-shaped styles of certain flowers or the tongues of snakes.

Derived Forms

• ˌbifurˈcation, noun

Other Words From

• bi·fur·cate·ly [bahy-fer-, keyt, -lee, bahy-, fur, -keyt-lee, -kit-], adverb
• bi·fur·ca·tion [bahy-fer-, key, -sh, uh, n], noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bifurcate¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Medieval Latin bifurcātus “forked in two,” past participle of bifurcāre “to fork in two,” from bi- bi- ¹( def ) + furc(a) fork ( def ) + -āre, infinitive verb suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of bifurcate¹

C17: from Medieval Latin bifurcātus , from Latin bifurcus , from bi- ¹+ furca fork

Example Sentences

HRW also alleges that Israel’s military has “intentionally demolished or severely damaged civilian infrastructure, including controlled demolitions of homes, with the apparent aim of creating an extended ‘buffer zone’ along Gaza’s perimeter with Israel and a corridor which will bifurcate Gaza”.

From BBC

What identical twins do — be they the Mantles or the Peterses — is bifurcate desire.

From New York Times

For me, coming from a society where it’s all about skin color, it helped me understand that we as human beings will always figure out how to bifurcate and categorize and create hierarchy.

From New York Times

"Israel is a separate matter," Johnson said in an interview on Fox News last week, describing his desire to "bifurcate" the Ukraine and Israel funding issues.

From Reuters

“I told the staff at the White House today that our consensus among House Republicans is that we need to bifurcate those issues,” Mr. Johnson said Thursday in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity.

From Washington Times