Bottleneck
/ˈbɒt.əl.nek/noun
A narrow section that restricts the flow of something; also, the narrow part of a bottle.
Did you know?The modern figurative sense comes from the physical shape of a bottle’s narrow neck, which became a powerful image for any place where movement gets squeezed and slowed.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
botel
“a bottle or flask”
Old English
OE
hnecca
“the neck”
Middle English
ME
bottel nekk
“the neck of a bottle”
17th Century
English
bottleneck
“the narrow neck of a bottle”
19th Century
English
bottleneck
“a point of congestion or obstruction”