Hifi

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A classification that refers to sound reproduction systems renowned for their capability to deliver very high-quality audio with great clarity and precision
2. An audio setup designed to reproduce sound with minimal distortion and high accuracy
3. Equipment intended to provide listening experiences with clear, detailed, and authentic audio output

Etymology: "Hi-fi" is a clipped form of "high fidelity," and the surprise lies in how much the second half of that phrase has carried. "Fidelity" comes from Latin "fidelitas," meaning faithfulness or loyalty, from "fidelis" (faithful), itself from "fides" (trust). So the audio sense is a kind of loyalty: a good system is one that stays faithful to the original recording or performance, adding as little of its own colour as possible. The phrase "high fidelity" built on that older meaning of faithfulness, and the shortened form took over from it. The clipped version "hi-fi" is the one most people now use, whether as a noun for a complete audio setup or as an adjective for equipment of that kind. The "hifi" spelling without the hyphen is simply a letter-case variant of the same word.

Synonyms: high fidelity, sound quality, audio system, stereo, loudspeaker