Hoofdbranch

Hoofdbranch, literally “main branch,” is a term used in Dutch to denote the principal branch within a hierarchical structure. It is not a standardized technical term across all domains; its exact meaning depends on the field and context.

In botany and horticulture, the hoofdbranch can refer to the central axis from which other branches grow. In practice, Dutch usage often prefers terms such as hoofdvertakking or hoofdstam, with hoofdbranch functioning as a descriptive label in some texts.

In software development and version control, the concept corresponds to the primary line of development. The most common label for this in contemporary practice is main (or master) in Git, while other systems use terms like trunk or develop. In Dutch documentation, hoofdbranch may appear as a description of that primary development line, with the understanding that feature branches diverge from it.

In data analysis, graphs, or decision trees, hoofdbranch may describe the top-level branch or the most influential split that guides subsequent structure or outcomes. In organizational charts, it can denote the main division or core branch of an organization.

Because the term is not uniformly standardized, it is often clearer to use domain-specific Dutch equivalents: hoofdvertakking, hoofdstam, hoofdline, or simply the established term used in that field (for example, main branch in software repositories). When precision is required, it is advisable to specify the exact context to avoid ambiguity.

See also: hoofdvertakking, hoofdstam, hoofdlijn, trunk, main branch.