or beating) is often called a rod. Thin, flexible sticks are called switches, wands, shrags, or vimina (singular vimen). History and etymology In Old English, there are numerous words for branch, including , , , and . There are also numerous descriptive words, such as (that is, something that has bled, or "bloomed", out), (literally "little bough"), (literally "on growth"), and (literally "offspringing"). Numerous other words for twigs and boughs abound, including , which still survives as the "-toe" in mistletoe. Latin words for branch are ramus or cladus. The latter term is an affix found in other modern words such as cladodonts (prehistoric sharks with branched teeth) or cladogram. See also Basal shoot Plant stem Root Shoot Stolon Switch (corporal punishment) Trunk (botany) Turion (botany) Twig Wand References Plant morphology ja:分枝 (生物学)