ramification

Etymology

From Middle French ramification, or its source, Latin ramificō.

noun

1. (botany, anatomy, also figurative) A branching-out, the act or result of developing branches; specifically the divergence of the stem and limbs of a plant into smaller ones, or of similar developments in blood vessels, anatomical structures etc.
   The character of trees may be studied to advantage […] in winter, when the forms of the ramification can be seen in the naked boughs […] 1829, Lincoln Phelps, Familiar Lectures on Botany, page 179
   From the left chamber or ventricle of the strong muscular mass, the heart, a large tube arises, called the aorta; and by a continued division or ramification, opens a way for the bright scarlet blood to the very minutest part of the living frame […] 1856, Neil Arnott, Isaac Hayes, Elements of Physics, pages 414–5
   Quite unexpectedly an idea popped into Tarzan's head. In following out the many ramifications of the dictionary definition of God he had come upon the word create—“to cause to come into existence; to form out of nothing.” 1919, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The God of Tarzan”, in Jungle Tales of Tarzan, pages 92–93
2. (figurative, often in the plural) An offshoot of a decision, fact etc.; a consequence or implication, especially one which complicates a situation.
   But most often and memorably his work falls into that territory best summed up as speculative fiction, with a particular emphasis on dystopian futures and the existential ramifications of space exploration. 2009-07-15, Chris Power, “A brief survey of the short story part 19: Ray Bradbury”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
   The advent of COVID passports, so soon after increased check-in bureaucracy post-Brexit, brought major logistical ramifications to St Pancras International, of a kind unseen at any other major station in Britain. November 30 2022, Nick Brodrick, “Pride and innovation shine at St Pancras”, in RAIL, number 971, page 67
3. (mathematics) An arrangement of branches.