cabang

Cabang is a word in Indonesian and Malay that denotes a branch, limb, or offshoot. In botany, cabang refers to a branch of a plant or tree. In everyday usage, it also designates a subdivision or local unit of a larger organization, such as a cabang bank (bank branch), cabang perusahaan (company branch), or cabang partai (political party branch).

In geographical and infrastructural contexts, cabang can describe a branch or fork of a river, stream, road, or network. It is commonly used to indicate a secondary path or division that operates under a larger system, helping to organize activities or services across different areas.

In organizational and administrative settings, cabang implies a local office or division that handles regional activities and customer service for its parent entity. The term is widely used in Indonesia and in Malay-speaking communities to distinguish between the central body and its regional counterparts.

Etymologically, cabang is native to Malay and Indonesian vocabulary, related to other terms in the same language family that describe branching structures. The word is versatile and appears in various collocations, including cabang produksi (production branch), cabang layanan (service branch), and cabang teknis (technical branch).

Usage notes: cabang can often be translated as branch or arm, depending on context. The plural form cabang-cabang is used for multiple branches. The term conveys a sense of a subordinate or auxiliary part that extends the reach of a parent organization.