The quality or state of being bursty (characterized by sudden, intense activity followed by quiet periods), often used in data networks and traffic analysis.
From 'bursty' (burst + -y, meaning characterized by bursts) + '-ness' suffix creating an abstract noun. The term emerged in computer science and telecommunications in the late 20th century.
Internet traffic is 'bursty'—people suddenly all check email at once, then nothing happens for a while, which is why networks need to handle sudden spikes in data! This word let engineers describe and plan for this chaotic real-world pattern.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.