Arborescent

Origin

First attested around 1675, from Latin arborēscēns, present active participle of arborēscō ("become a tree"). The philosophical sense refers to the way genealogy trees are drawn.

Full definition of arborescent

Adjective

1. Like a tree; having a structure or appearance similar to a tree's; branching.
2. (philosophy) Marked by insistence on totalizing principles, binarism and dualism (opposed to the rhizome theory).Deleuze criticizes the Chomsky hierarchy of formal languages, which he considers a perfect example of arborescent dualistic theory.

Derived terms

• arborescent appendage
• arborescence