dendrite
DEN-dryte
A branching, tree-like pattern — whether in ice crystals forming on a windowpane, mineral deposits spreading through rock, or the signal-receiving extensions of a nerve cell. The word names the shape that nature reaches for again and again when it needs to maximize surface area in a small space.
Etymology
Greek: dendritēs (of or pertaining to a tree), from dendron (tree). The same root gives us rhododendron (rose tree).
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