branch
branch — noun
1. a long woody part coming from the trunk or a thick stem of a tree
a long woody part coming from the trunk or a thick stem of a tree
A heavy apple bent the branch low over the fence.
Two sparrows landed on a thin branch above the pond.
on a branch
Snow broke a dead branch behind the old church.
Noa hung paper stars from the lowest branch of the pine.
文法句型
a branch of + tree
on a branch
用法筆記
A branch is thicker than a twig and usually grows directly from the trunk or from another large branch. In everyday speech, this is the most common concrete sense of the word.
2. one place in a town where a larger company or group works or serves customers
one place in a town where a larger company or group works or serves customers
The bank opened a new branch near the night market.
common noun pair: bank branch
Diego works at the Kaohsiung branch of an insurance company.
Customers can return online orders to any branch in the chain.
The branch on Zhongshan Road closes at six on Fridays.
文法句型
a branch in + place
the [city] branch of + company
用法筆記
This sense is about the physical office, shop, or service point in a particular place. Distinguish from sense 3, which is about an internal division and not necessarily a building people visit.
常見錯誤
3. a division inside a large organization or government, each with its own job
a division inside a large organization or government, each with its own job
The finance branch checks every payment for the school lunch program.
Rashida joined the health branch of the city government.
branch of + government body
At city hall, each branch handles a different stack of forms.
In its ruling, the court said one branch of government cannot control another.
- division
broad term for a separate unit inside an organization
- department
often more official and common in schools, companies, and government
- arm
emphasizes function or power, especially in politics or business
文法句型
a branch of + organization
branch of government
用法筆記
Use this sense for the functional unit inside a large body. Distinguish from sense 2, which names the local place where that company or organization operates.
常見錯誤
4. one of the main parts of a subject, or a smaller group inside a language family
one of the main parts of a subject, or a smaller group inside a language family
Marine biology is one branch of science taught at this college.
branch of + subject area
Professor Lin studies a branch of history about trade routes.
On the museum chart, Slavic appears as one branch of Indo-European.
This branch of math helps pilots plan the shortest route.
文法句型
a branch of + subject
a branch of + language family
用法筆記
Usually followed by 'of': a branch of physics, a branch of history, a branch of Indo-European. Distinguish from sense 3, which is about an organizational unit rather than a field of study.
常見錯誤
5. a smaller river, road, rail line, or similar route that separates from the main
a smaller river, road, rail line, or similar route that separates from the main one
A narrow branch of the river runs behind the village.
branch of + river
Near the bridge, the main road has a branch to the airport.
has a branch to + place
The branch line ends at a small farming town.
Past the bridge, one branch of the highway turns east to the farms.
文法句型
a branch of + river/road/railway
用法筆記
Often used for lines or routes that leave a main line. With rivers, a close synonym is 'tributary'; with roads and railways, it suggests a side line rather than the main route.
6. one line of a family that comes from the same earlier relatives
one line of a family that comes from the same earlier relatives
Only one branch of the Chen family still lives here.
branch of + family
The photo album follows a branch of the Kaur family back five generations.
After the wedding, both branches of the family met at noon.
A distant branch of our family moved to Peru long ago.
文法句型
a branch of + family
用法筆記
This sense often appears with family names or words like 'family', 'house', and 'line'. It is about relatives, not about offices or departments.
7. one of the small nerves or blood vessels that split off from a main one
one of the small nerves or blood vessels that split off from a main one
The scan showed a branch of the nerve near her jaw.
branch of + nerve
Doctors repaired a tiny branch of the damaged artery.
Sharp pain spread when the dentist pressed a nerve branch.
On the screen, dye entered a small branch of the artery.
文法句型
a branch of + nerve
a branch of + artery/blood vessel
用法筆記
Common in medical writing. The image is the same as a tree branch: one main line gives rise to smaller lines.
branch — verb
1. to send out new side stems or branch-like parts as a plant grows
to send out new side stems or branch-like parts as a plant grows
Young tomato plants branch quickly in warm summer weather.
intransitive: plant subject
The rose bush branched low and filled the whole pot.
This tree branches well after a hard spring cut.
By late August, wild vines branch along the garden wall.
文法句型
[plant] branch + adverb
[plant] branch after + event
用法筆記
Used mainly with plants or other natural forms that grow side parts. The common pattern is intransitive, with the plant itself as the subject.
2. to split away from one main line and continue in more than one direction
to split away from one main line and continue in more than one direction
The path branches near the lake and reaches two camps.
intransitive: path subject
At the tunnel, the road branched left toward the port.
branch + direction word
Near the falls, two narrow streams branch from the main river.
The hiking trail branches into three routes above the dam.
文法句型
[road/path/river] branch + direction
[road/path/river] branch into + number + routes
[road/path/stream] branch from + main line
用法筆記
Often used of roads, paths, rivers, and similar lines. Distinguish from sense 1, which is about plants producing new growth rather than routes dividing.