bifurcate

1.

/ˈbaɪfərˌkeɪt/

split or divide into two

2.

/ˈbaɪfərkɪt/

divided or separated into two branches

Other forms: bifurcated; bifurcates; bifurcating

When you're walking through the woods, you sometimes see the path bifurcate, or split in two directions, and have to choose which way to continue. Bifurcate means "to divide into two branches."

If you want to impress your friend (or annoy them) with your knowledge of big words, you can point out the place where "the river bifurcates", or the way tree branches "bifurcate again and again". Really what you're describing is anything that splits into forks or branches. The Latin root of bifurcate adds the prefix bi, or "two", to the word "furca", or fork.

Definitions of bifurcate (/ˈbaɪfərˌkeɪt/)

1. verb

   split or divide into two
   type of:

   diverge

   extend in a different direction
2. verb

   divide into two branches
   “The road bifurcated”

   type of:

   branch, fork, furcate, ramify, separate

   divide into two or more branches so as to form a fork