dichotomous

Etymology

From Late Latin dichotomos, from Ancient Greek διχότομος (dikhótomos, “cut in half”), from δίχα (díkha, “apart”) + τέμνω (témnō, “I cut”).

adj

1. Dividing or branching into two mutually exclusive pieces.
   Genus Riccia L. Plants are thalloid, forming rosettes or loose, dichotomous patches. 1992, Marie L. Hicks, Guide to the Liverworts of North Carolina, page 197
   The second half of the book switches to the increasingly dark story of how, from the 17th century onwards, European thinkers and politicians constructed a more and more dichotomous worldview. 2023-02-23, Fara Dabhoiwala, “The West by Naoíse Mac Sweeney review – history rediscovered”, in The Guardian, →ISSN