bottleneck

American  

[bot-l-nek] / ˈbɒt lˌnɛk /

noun

1. a narrow entrance or passageway.

2. a place or stage in a process at which progress is impeded.

3. Also called slide guitar.  a method of guitar playing that produces a gliding sound by pressing a metal bar or glass tube against the strings.

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verb (used with object)

1. to hamper or confine by or as if by a bottleneck.

verb (used without object)

1. to become hindered by or as if by a bottleneck.

bottleneck British  

/ ˈbɒtəlˌnɛk /

noun

1. 1. a narrow stretch of road or a junction at which traffic is or may be held up

   2. the hold up

2. something that holds up progress, esp of a manufacturing process

3. music

   1. the broken-off neck of a bottle placed over a finger and used to produce a buzzing effect in a style of guitar-playing originally part of the American blues tradition

   2. the style of guitar playing using a bottleneck

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verb

1. (tr) to be or cause an obstruction in

bottleneck Scientific  

/ bŏt′l-nĕk′ /

1. An abrupt and severe reduction in the number of individuals during the history of a species, resulting in the loss of diversity from the gene pool. The generations following the bottleneck are more genetically homogenous than would otherwise be expected. Bottlenecks often occur in consequence of a catastrophic event.

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bottleneck Cultural  

1. The point at which an industry or economic system has to slow its growth because one or more of its components cannot keep up with demand.

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Etymology

Origin of bottleneck

First recorded in 1895–1900; bottle ¹ + neck

Example Sentences

This suggests that the current genetic bottleneck is a recent development rather than a long-standing feature of Irish goat populations.

From Science Daily

Now the industry can’t make enough, and Micron is spending billions to break the bottleneck.

From The Wall Street Journal

"I became a British champion. And then I drove this Uber," he plans to say, using the same casual tone he might use to discuss a bottleneck on the North Circular.

From BBC

The issues include bottlenecks at manufacturing partners and limited interest from cloud-computing rivals that are among the largest buyers of Nvidia processors, according to people familiar with the matter.

From The Wall Street Journal

While labor bottlenecks and safety-related work stoppages could result in construction delays, BRC Asia is managing these risks by taking on smaller projects and reducing its exposure to large projects, she says.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• barrier
• blockage
• congestion
• hindrance
• impediment
• snag
• traffic jam