bandlimit
|band-lim-it|
/ˈbændˌlɪmɪt/
restrict frequency range
Etymology
'bandlimit' is a 20th‑century technical compound coined in English from the nouns 'band' + 'limit' to name the act or value of limiting a signal's frequency band.
'bandlimit' formed by combining 'band' (Old English/Old Norse root) and 'limit' (from Latin through Old French); the modern compound arose in electronics and signal‑processing literature in the 1900s and became common as 'band-limited' and 'bandlimit' in technical texts.
Initially a literal compound meaning 'limit of a band', it came to be used specifically in signal processing to mean 'the maximum frequency or operation of limiting a signal's frequency content'; the technical sense narrowed from a general phrase to a specialized term.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an upper bound on the frequency content of a signal; the maximum frequency (or frequency range) beyond which the signal has negligible energy — i.e., the frequency limit of a system or signal.
The bandlimit of this system is 20 kHz.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Verb 1
to limit the frequency content of (a signal) to a specified frequency band; to apply filtering so that frequencies outside a band are attenuated or removed.
We bandlimit the audio before sampling to avoid aliasing.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/10 14:40