anabranch

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/ˈænəbɹæntʃ//ˈænəbɹɑːntʃ/

noun

A diverging branch of a river, creek, or stream which re-enters the main stream.

Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nounanabranch (plural anabranches)

plural anabranches

  1. especiallygeographyA diverging branch of a river, creek, or stream which re-enters the main stream.

    Such branches of a river as after separation reunite, I would term anastomosing branches; or, if a word might be coined, anabranches, and the islands they form branch islands.

    1834, Colonel Jackson, “Hints on the Subject of Geographical Arrangement and Nomenclature”, in The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, Volume 4

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
river

Origin

From ana- (“extracted from anastomosing”) + branch.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

anabranch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anabranch

MLA

“anabranch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anabranch. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “anabranch,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anabranch.

Source: anabranch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.