Bifurcate
/ˈbaɪ.fəˌkeɪt/noun
To divide into two branches or parts.
Did you know?Bifurcate comes through Latin from the same root behind words like furca, a fork or gallows-shaped frame, so the word’s oldest image is a hard split in the road.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰerǵʰ-
“to split, fork, or branch”
Latin
Latin
bis
“twice, twofold”
Latin
Latin
furca
“a fork; a forked instrument or frame”
Late Latin
Latin
bifurcus
“two-pronged, having two forks”
16th Century
English
bifurcate
“to divide into two branches”