bandwidth

English

Etymology

band +‎ width

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbændwɪdθ/, /ˈbændwɪtθ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

bandwidth (countable and uncountable, plural bandwidths)

1. The width, usually measured in hertz, of a frequency band.
   • 2010 October 30, Jim Giles, “Jammed!”, in New Scientist:

     But now is a good time to be bargaining for bandwidth, as the switch from analogue to digital television is freeing up space.

2. (of a signal) The width of the smallest frequency band within which the signal can fit.
3. (networking, informal) The rate of data flow in digital networks typically measured in bits per second; the bitrate.
   • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Communications: Administration Codex entry:

     While comm buoys allow rapid transmission, there is a finite amount of bandwidth available. Given that trillions of people may be trying to pass a message through a given buoy at any one time, access to the network is parceled out on priority tiers.

4. (informal) The capacity, energy or time required.

   I think it's a worthy project, but I just don't have the bandwidth right now.

   • 2024 January 24, Dyan Perry talks to Nick Brodrick, “The industry has given me so much”, in RAIL, number 1001, page 44:

     Yet... rather than exploiting opportunities to their fullest, Perry uses with conviction the word "frustrated" to describe a typical approach to government with ideas: "You'll get the response 'we don't have the bandwidth to deal with that'."

Derived terms

• time-bandwidth product

 

Translations

width of a frequency band

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 帶寬／带宽 (zh) (dàikuān), 頻帶／频带 (zh) (píndài), 頻寬／频宽 (zh) (pínkuān)

• Danish: båndbredde c
• Dutch: bandbreedte (nl) f
• Esperanto: bendlarĝo
• Estonian: ribalaius
• Finnish: kaistanleveys (fi)
• French: bande passante (fr) f
• German: Bandbreite (de) f
• Greek: εύρος ζώνης (el) (évros zónis)
• Hungarian: sávszélesség (hu)
• Icelandic: bandbreidd f, bandvídd (is) f
• Indonesian: lebar pita
• Italian: larghezza di banda f
• Japanese: 帯域幅 (たいいきはば, taiikihaba)
• Korean: 대역폭(帶域幅) (daeyeokpok)
• Macedonian: ширина на опсег f (širina na opseg)
• Malay: lebar jalur
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: båndbredde m

  Nynorsk: bandbreidd f

• Polish: przepustowość (pl) f
• Portuguese: largura de banda (pt)
• Romanian: lărgime de bandă f
• Russian: ширина́ полосы́ f (širiná polosý)
• Spanish: ancho de banda m
• Swedish: bandbredd (sv) c

width of the smallest frequency band within which the signal can fit

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Danish: båndbredde c
• Esperanto: bendlarĝo
• Finnish: kaistanleveys (fi)
• French: bande passante (fr) f
• German: Bandbreite (de) f
• Greek: εύρος ζώνης (el) (évros zónis)
• Icelandic: bandbreidd f
• Indonesian: lebar pita
• Macedonian: ширина на опсег f (širina na opseg)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: båndbredde m

  Nynorsk: bandbreidd f

• Polish: przepustowość (pl) f
• Portuguese: largura de banda (pt)
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: ancho de banda m

measure of data flow rate in digital networks

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Danish: båndbredde c
• Dutch: bandbreedte (nl) f
• Esperanto: kapacito
• Estonian: ülekandemaht
• Finnish: siirtonopeus; kaistanleveys (fi), kaista (fi) (informal)
• French: débit (fr) m, bande passante (fr) f
• German: Bandbreite (de) f
• Greek: εύρος ζώνης (el) n (évros zónis)
• Hebrew: רוחב פס m (rohav pas)
• Icelandic: bandbreidd f
• Indonesian: pita lebar
• Korean: 대역폭(帶域幅) (daeyeokpok)
• Macedonian: појасна ширина f (pojasna širina), ширина на опсег f (širina na opseg)
• Malay: lebar jalur
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: båndbredde m, båndvidde m or f

  Nynorsk: bandbreidd f

• Polish: przepustowość (pl) f
• Portuguese: largura de banda (pt) f
• Russian: пропускна́я спосо́бность f (propusknája sposóbnostʹ), ширина́ полосы́ f (širiná polosý)
• Spanish: ancho de banda m
• Swedish: bandbredd (sv) c

See also

• bandshape
• broadband