Editing Branch (section)

===Specific terms===
A bough can also be called a '''limb''' or '''arm''', and though these are arguably [[metaphor]]s, both are widely accepted [[synonym]]s for bough.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=limb| title = "limb" on Merriam-Webster.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=arm| title = "arm" on Merriam-Webster.}}</ref> A '''crotch''' or [[Tree forks|fork]] is an area where a trunk splits into two or more boughs. A [[twig]] is frequently referred to as a '''sprig''' as well, especially when it has been plucked.<ref>[http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861712698 "sprig" on Encarta.]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Other words for twig include '''branchlet''', '''spray''', and '''surcle''', as well as the technical terms '''surculus''' and '''ramulus'''. Branches found under larger branches can be called '''underbranches'''.

Some branches from specific trees have their own names, such as '''osiers''' and '''withes''' or [[withy|withies]], which come from [[willow]]s. Often trees have certain words which, in English, are naturally [[collocation|collocated]], such as [[holly]] and [[mistletoe]], which usually employ the phrase "sprig of" (as in, a "sprig of mistletoe"). Similarly, the branch of a [[cherry|cherry tree]] is generally referred to as a "cherry branch", while other such formations (i.e., "[[acacia]] branch" or "[[orange (fruit)|orange]] branch") carry no such alliance. A good example of this versatility is [[oak]], which could be referred to as variously an  "oak branch", an "oaken branch", a "branch of oak", or the "branch of an oak tree".{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

Once a branch has been cut or in any other way removed from its source, it is most commonly referred to as a '''stick''', and a stick employed for some purpose (such as [[walking]], [[spanking]], or [[beating up|beating]]) is often called a '''rod'''. Thin, flexible sticks are called [[Switch (rod)|switch]]es, '''wands''', '''shrags''', or '''vimina''' (singular '''vimen''').