A
branch is a part of a
woody plant[?] such as a
tree,
shrub, or
vine.
Branch refers to any woody structural member that is not the central
trunk or trunks and which supports the terminal
twigs, which in turn support the
leaves. Branches may be oriented in any direction from horizontally to vertically, but usually have
bark similar to the upper trunk (whereas twigs often have markedly different bark).
The term branch is also often used figuratively:
- In a computer program, a conditional jump or departure from the implicit or declared order in which instructions are being executed.
- To select a branch, as in definition #1.
- In software design, a separate line of development, known as a "branch". When you change files on a branch, those changes do not appear on the main trunk or other branches.
- In graph theory, a direct path joining two nodes of a network or graph.
- In a power distribution system, a circuit from a distribution device (power panel) of a lower power handling capability than that of the input circuits to the device.