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bottleneck

 - 5 dictionary results

bot⋅tle⋅neck

  [bot-l-nek]
Use bottleneck in a Sentence
–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.
–verb (used with object)
4. to hamper or confine by or as if by a bottleneck.
–verb (used without object)
5. to become hindered by or as if by a bottleneck.
Origin:
1895–1900; bottle 1 + neck
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To bottleneck
bot·tle·neck   (bŏt'l-něk')   
n.  

    1. A narrow or obstructed section, as of a highway or a pipeline.

    2. A point or an area of traffic congestion.

  2. A hindrance to progress or production.

  3. The narrow part of a bottle near the top.

  4. Music A style of guitar playing in which an object, such as a piece of glass or metal, is passed across the strings to achieve a gliding sound.

tr.v.   bot·tle·necked, bot·tle·neck·ing, bot·tle·necks
To slow down or impede by creating an obstruction.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Main Entry:  bottleneck
Part of Speech:  n
Definition:  See slide guitar
Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
Copyright © 2003-2009 Dictionary.com, LLC
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Cultural Dictionary

bottleneck

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.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Science Dictionary
bottleneck   (bŏt'l-něk')  Pronunciation Key 
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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