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branch off

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branch off (from something)

to separate off from something; to divide away from something. A small stream branched off from the main channel. An irrigation ditch branched off here and there.

See also: branch, off

branch off

Diverge, subdivide, as in It's the house on the left, just after the road branches off, or English and Dutch branched off from an older parent language, West Germanic. This term alludes to a tree's growth pattern, in which branches grow in separate directions from the main trunk. [Second half of 1800s] Also see branch out.

See also: branch, off

branch off

v.

1. To separate from a main road or path and follow a smaller one: Take a left where the main trail branches off onto a footpath.

2. To separate from a primary source or origin and move or develop in a different direction: After we discovered a new species of insect, some members of our research team branched off and are studying it. A new political group has branched off from the old party.

See also: branch, off