Hdmi
Part of speech: noun
Definitions
- A high-definition multimedia interface used to transmit digital video and audio signals between devices such as televisions, computers, and gaming consoles
- A type of compact connector and cable designed for sending uncompressed digital video and multi-channel audio from a source to a display device
- A standardized audio-video interface technology that facilitates high-quality signal transfer for entertainment and media devices without analog conversion
Etymology: HDMI stands for High-Definition Multimedia Interface, an initialism coined by the consortium of electronics firms that designed it, not a word that grew organically from older speech. Its name was chosen to signal that a single cable could carry both high-definition video and multichannel audio, replacing a tangle of separate analogue connectors. The "high-definition" part reflects the term's marketing moment, when HD television was emerging as the new standard. "Multimedia" was meant to suggest that the link carried more than picture alone, and "interface" is the standard engineering term for a point where two systems connect. Each element is an ordinary English word, so the initialism is transparent rather than mysterious.
Synonyms: high-definition multimedia interface