bifurcation

Definition of Bifurcation

(noun) In reference to kinship, it is the distinction between the father’s and mother’s sides of the family.

Example of Bifurcation

• The paternal aunts (father’s sisters) or maternal uncles (mother’s brothers).
  

Bifurcation Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: bi·fur·ca·tion

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /ˌbaɪfərˈkeɪʃən/
• British English – /ˌbaɪfɜːˈkeɪʃən/

Usage Note

• Plural: bifurcations

Additional Information

• Family and Kinship Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
• Word origin of “bifurcation” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com

Related Terms

• descent
• endogamy
• exogamy
• extended family
• generation
• kinship
• lineage
• marriage
• moiety
• phratry
• tribe

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Works Consulted

Carrabine, Eamonn, Pam Cox, Maggy Lee, Ken Plummer, and Nigel South. 2009. Criminology: A Sociological Introduction. 2nd ed. London: Routledge.

Cite the Definition of Bifurcation

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “bifurcation.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved October 15, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/bifurcation/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

bifurcation. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/bifurcation/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “bifurcation.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed October 15, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/bifurcation/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“bifurcation.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 15 Oct. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/bifurcation/>.