ramify

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The Word of the Day for April 18 is:

ramify   \RAM-uh-fye\   verb
     intransitive verb  
     1 : to split up into branches or constituent parts
    *2 : to send forth branches or extensions
     transitive verb  
     1 : to cause to branch
     2 : to separate into divisions

Example sentence: 
     "The bus system ramified so widely that it became possible to travel to 
Athens in a single day from a very large proportion of the villages of 
Greece...." (William H. McNeill, _The Metamorphosis of Greece Since World War 
II_)

Did you know?
     "Ramify" has been part of English since the 15th century and is an 
offshoot of the Latin word for "branch," which is "ramus." English acquired 
several scientific words from "ramus," including "biramous" ("having two 
branches"). Another English word derived from "ramus" is the now obsolete 
"ramage," meaning "untamed" or "wild." Like "haggard" (our Word of the Day on 
April 12), "ramage" originated in falconry -- it was originally used of young 
hawks that had begun to fly from branch to branch in trees. "Ramify" started 
out as a scientific word, at first referring to branching parts of plants and 
trees and later to veins and nerves. But it soon branched out into 
non-scientific and even figurative uses, as in "ideas that ramify throughout 
society." 

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.