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Etymology and origin of the English word bandwidth

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1885 Symons's Monthly Meteorological Magazine
Ultimate origins
Old Norse bandEnglish width
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English band
English bandwidth
From the same root
English broadband ← band

Pronunciation

  • /ˈbændwɪdθ/, /ˈbændwɪtθ/[1]

Etymology

It is a compound from English band + width,[2][3][4] with band in the sense of a strip.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The width of a band of colour or material, measured from side to side: 1885, in Symons's Monthly Meteorological Magazine.[2]

Semantic evolution

In physics the word was used from 1913 for a range of frequencies or wavelengths between two limits,[2] and since 1925, in radio engineering, for the difference between the two limiting frequencies.[2] Etymonline dates this use in electronics to 1930,[3] and Dictionary.com to 1925–30,[4] while Merriam-Webster's first known use is 1902.[5] From 1970 the word was applied to the maximum rate at which data can be transferred along a path.[2] Since 1988 it has also been used figuratively of the time, energy or mental capacity that a person has for a task.[2]

Timeline

  • 1885 – the width of a band of colour or material.[2]
  • 1902 – first known use, according to Merriam-Webster.[5]
  • 1913 – a range of frequencies or wavelengths.[2]
  • 1925 – the difference between two limiting frequencies.[2]
  • 1970 – the maximum rate of data transfer.[2]
  • 1988 – figurative, the time, ability or energy available for a task.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A range of frequencies or wavelengths, especially the difference between the highest and lowest frequencies of a band used in telecommunications.[5][6][2]
  2. The capacity of a network or connection to transfer data, measured as the maximum rate of transfer.[5][6][2]
  3. Informally, the time, energy or mental capacity a person has for dealing with something: I don't have the bandwidth for another project this month.[2]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
Cite this entry

“Bandwidth.” Etymologically, 26 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/bandwidth. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·