Etymologically
Log in

broadband

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 25 October 2026 at 23:09. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈbɹɔːdbænd/[1]
  • US: /ˈbɹɔdbænd/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English broad + band, band in its sense of a range of frequencies.[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of or using a band of frequencies covering a wide range: 1919, in the Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office.[2] Merriam-Webster's first known use is 1929,[5] and Dictionary.com dates the word 1900–05.[4] Etymonline finds broad band in other senses from the 1620s.[3]

Semantic evolution

The word began in radio and electronics as an adjective, and as a noun for a wide band of frequencies from 1956.[2][3] In 1981 it was applied to a telecommunications network carrying telephone, television and computer data over a single high-speed connection,[2] and in 1993 to internet access faster than dial-up.[2] The noun for such high-speed internet access is recorded from 1994,[2] and Etymonline notes that it became widely available from 2006.[3] It is contrasted with narrowband and baseband.[5][6]

Timeline

  • 1620s – broad band in various senses.[3]
  • 1919 – adjective, using a wide range of frequencies.[2]
  • 1956 – noun, a wide band of frequencies.[2][3]
  • 1981 – of a network carrying several services over one fast connection.[2]
  • 1993 – of high-speed internet access.[2]
  • 1994 – noun, high-speed internet access.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A fast connection to the Internet that carries data over many channels at once: The village finally got broadband last spring.[6][2]
  2. A wide band of frequencies, or transmission over one.[2][6]

Adjective

  1. Operating at or using a wide band of frequencies.[5][2]
  2. Of or relating to a high-speed communications network or internet connection.[5][2]

References

  1. ^ a b 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 c d e f 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 c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins