sub-branchn.
/ˈsʌbbrɑːn(t)ʃ/, /ˈsʌbbran(t)ʃ/, U.S. /ˈsəbˌbræn(t)ʃ/ A subsidiary branch (in any sense); a division of or fork from a branch.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > arm or branch > subdivision of a branch
sub-branch1817
1817 J. Bentham Chrestomathia Pt. II 199 The subject belongs to the ensuing head of Politics or Government, and there-under to one of the sub-branches of the branch termed Police.
1859 C. Darwin Origin of Species iv. 124 In our diagram, this is indicated by the broken lines, beneath the capital letters, converging in sub-branches downwards towards a single point.
1875 W. S. Jevons Money xx. 258 The National Bank of Ireland has about 114 branches and sub-branches.
1912 Bot. Gaz. 54 357 Under favorable conditions of growth, a branchlet when terminated by a reproductive body may continue its growth by the production of a sub-branch.
1970 J. H. Greenberg Langs. Afr. ii. 25 Serer-Nono..is a member of the northern subbranch of the West Atlantic languages but shows no special relationship to Fulani.
2002 R. Gervais & S. Merchant Office: Scripts 1st Ser. Episode 4. 178 Actually, I don't want to spend my life answering phones in some crappy sub-branch paper merchant's.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
sub-branchv.
/ˈsʌbbrɑːn(t)ʃ/, /ˈsʌbbran(t)ʃ/, U.S. /ˈsəbˌbræn(t)ʃ/ intransitive. To diverge or divide into sub-branches (in various senses). Also transitive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > divide [verb (intransitive)] > into subdivisions
sub-branch1857
1857 C. Darwin in Life & Lett. (1887) II. 125 Species..always seem to branch and sub-branch like a tree from a common trunk.
1919 Jrnl. Geol. (Chicago) 27 306 The main stream channel was formed by the junction of two branches which in turn were sub-branched.
1972 Oral Hist. 1 iv. 132 The various villages represented sons of sons, branches which had sub-branched and sub-branched.
2010 Gulf News (Dubai) 25 Jan. The Egyptian parliament formed a committee..which formulated 10 major points, which sub-branched into 50 topics, that had to be corrected to avoid further communal clashes in Egypt.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.1817v.1857