A part of a whole governing body which is assigned specific powers; examples include the legislature, the judiciary, the executive, the military, and, in non-secular states, the church.

(rail transport) A secondary railroad route or one subsidiary to a railroad's mainlines.

(organic chemistry) Describing any aliphatic compound that contains a chain of carbon atoms in which at least one carbon atom is connected to three or four others, thus forming a branch.

The branch of government that oversees the carrying out of the laws

The branch of government which is concerned with the administration of justice through the interpretation of the law.

The branch of government which is concerned with the making of laws

plural of branch register

(idiomatic, intransitive, of a path or route) To diverge into two or more separate paths. / To separate from a main path or route. / (of a conversation) To divert from the main topic of conversation.

(Australian politics) The recruitment of members for a branch of a political party in order to influence the outcome of internal preselections of candidates for public office.

A business office that is geographically separate from the headquarters of the business.