Hotspot

[hot-spot] /ˈhɒtˌspɒt/

verb (used with object), hot-spotted, hot-spotting.
1.
to stop (a forest fire) at a .
noun
1.
a country or region where dangerous or difficult political situations exist or may erupt, especially where a war, revolution, or a belligerent attitude toward other countries exists or may develop:
In the 1960s, Vietnam became a hot spot.
2.
Informal. any area or place of known danger, intrigue, dissension, or instability.
3.
Informal. a nightclub.
4.
Photography. an area of a negative or print revealing excessive light on that part of the subject.
5.
a section of forest or woods where fires frequently occur.
6.
an area hotter than the surrounding surface, as on the shell of a furnace.
7.
Digital Technology. a place where users of portable computers or mobile devices can get wireless broadband access to the Internet or another network:
how to find free Wi-Fi hot spots.
8.
Physics. an area of abnormally high radioactivity.
9.
Geology. a region of molten rock below and within the lithosphere that persists long enough to leave a record of uplift and volcanic activity at the earth’s surface.
Compare (def 10).
10.
Genetics. a chromosome site or a section of DNA having a high frequency of mutation or recombination.
11.
Veterinary Pathology. a moist, raw sore on the skin of a dog or cat caused by constant licking of an irritation from an allergic reaction, tangled coat, fleas, etc.
noun
1.
an area of potential violence or political unrest
2.
a lively nightclub or other place of entertainment
3.
an area of great activity of a specific type: the world’s economic hot spots
4.

5.
(computing) a place where wireless internet, esp broadband, services are provided to users of portable computers through a wireless local area network, such as in an airport, railway station, or library
6.
(med)

7.
(genetics) a part of a chromosome that has a tendency for mutation or recombination
n.

also hotspot, 1888 as a skin irritation; 1931 as “nightclub;” 1938 in the firefighting sense; 1941 as “place of international conflict.” See hot (adj.) + spot (n.).

hot spot n.
A region in a gene in which there is a high rate of mutation. Its existence depends on the size of the region concerned, the readiness with which the mutation can be detected, and the possibility that selection against mutants at that point is less than that against mutants elsewhere.
hot spot
A volcanic area that forms as a tectonic plate moves over a point heated from deep within the Earth’s mantle. The source of the heat is thought to be the decay of radioactive elements. The Hawaiian Islands formed as a series of hot spots. See more at tectonic boundary.

A place deep within the Earth where hot magma rises to just underneath the surface, creating a bulge and volcanic activity (see volcano). The chain of Hawaiian Islands (see Hawaii) is thought to have been created by the movement of a tectonic plate over a hot spot.

noun phrase