offshoot

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a group, organization, idea, or development that originates from something larger

   The research institute began as an offshoot of the university's physics department.

2. 2
   noun

   a side shoot or branch growing from the main stem of a plant

   The gardener removed each weak offshoot from the main stem.

A compound of off + shoot. The botanical sense names a shoot growing away from a main stem; the figurative sense extends that branching image to organizations, ideas, and other developments.

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