ramification Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the act of branching out or dividing into branches
    fork; branching; forking.
  2. noun a part of a forked or branching shape
    branch; leg.
    • he broke off one of the branches
  3. noun a development that complicates a situation
    complication.
    • the court's decision had many unforeseen ramifications
  4. noun an arrangement of branching parts

WordNet

Ram`i*fi*ca"tion noun
Etymology
Cf. F. ramification. See Ramify.
Definitions
  1. The process of branching, or the development or offshoots from a stem; also, the mode of their arrangement.
  2. A small branch or offshoot proceeding from a main stock or channel; as, the ramifications of an artery, vein, or nerve.
  3. A division into principal and subordinate classes, heads, or departments; also, one of the subordinate parts; as, the ramifications a subject or scheme.
  4. The production of branchlike figures. Crabb.

Webster 1913