ramify

• POS: Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive)
• HYPHEN: ram=i=fy

CIDE DICTIONARY

ramify, v. t. [F. ramifier, LL. ramificare, fr. L. ramus a branch + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See -fy.].

 To divide into branches or subdivisions; as, to ramify an art, subject, scheme.  [1913 Webster]

ramify, v. i. 

•  To shoot, or divide, into branches or subdivisions, as the stem of a plant.  [1913 Webster]

  "When they [asparagus plants] . . . begin to ramify."  [1913 Webster]
•  To be divided or subdivided, as a main subject.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

ramify, n. (-ies, -ied)
1 intr. form branches or subdivisions or offshoots, branch out.
2 tr. (usu. in passive) cause to branch out; arrange in a branching manner.

Etymology

F ramifier f. med.L ramificare f. L ramus branch

THESAURUS

ramify

accelerate, aggravate, ball up, beef up, bifurcate, bisect, blow up, branch, branch out, by two, cleave, complicate, concentrate, condense, confound, confuse, consolidate, cut in two, deepen, deploy, dichotomize, dimidiate, disperse, divaricate, divide, double, embrangle, enhance, entangle, exacerbate, exaggerate, expand, extend, fan, fan out, fission, flare, fork, foul up, furcate, halve, heat up, heighten, hop up, hot up, implicate, in half, intensify, involve, jazz up, key up, knot, louse up, magnify, make complex, mess up, mix up, muck up, muddle, open, open up, outspread, outstretch, overgrow, overrun, perplex, ravel, redouble, reinforce, screw up, sharpen, snarl, snarl up, soup up, splay, split in two, spraddle, sprangle, sprawl, spread, spread like wildfire, spread out, stem, step up, strengthen, subdivide, tangle, transect, trifurcate, triple, unfold, whet, widen

ROGET THESAURUS

ramify

bisection

VB bisect, halve, divide, split, cut in two, cleave dimidiate, dichotomize, go halves, divide with, separate, fork, bifurcate, branch off, out, ramify.

Divergence

VB diverge, divaricate, radiate, ramify, branch off, glance off, file off, fly off, fly off at a tangent, spread, scatter, disperse, deviate, part.