Ramification
//ɹæmɪfɪˈkeɪʃən// noun
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A branching-out, the act or result of developing branches; specifically the divergence of the stem and limbs of a plant into smaller ones, or of similar developments in blood vessels, anatomical structures etc. also, countable, figuratively, uncountable
"The character of trees may be studied to advantage […] in winter, when the forms of the ramification can be seen in the naked boughs […]"
- 2 the act of branching out or dividing into branches wordnet
- 3 An offshoot of a decision, fact etc.; a consequence or implication, especially one which complicates a situation. countable, figuratively, in-plural, often, uncountable
"The treachery of some of the Jacobite agents (Rashleigh among the rest), and the arrest of others, had made George the First's Government acquainted with the extensive ramifications of a conspiracy long prepared, and which at last exploded prematurely […]"
- 4 an arrangement of branching parts wordnet
- 5 An arrangement of branches. countable, uncountable
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- 6 a development that complicates a situation wordnet
- 7 a part of a forked or branching shape wordnet
Example
More examples"That's a very important ramification, but I think few people even realize its existence."
Etymology
From Middle French ramification, or its source, Medieval Latin rāmificātiō. By surface analysis, ramify + -ication.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.