ramification in WordNet English dictionary

1. a part of a forked or branching shape
   "he broke off one of the branches"
   branch  leg  ramification 
   
2. the act of branching out or dividing into branches
   branching  ramification  fork  forking 
   
3. a development that complicates a situation
   "the court's decision had many unforeseen ramifications"
   complication  ramification 
   
4. an arrangement of branching parts
   ramification