# Wi-Fi

Pronunciation: say "WY-fy" /ˈwaɪ.faɪ/

## Noun

1. Wireless networking that uses one of the IEEE 802.11 standards for short-range data transmission.
   - Simple: Connecting computers and other devices to a network without wires, using a shared set of technical rules.
   - _Guests can ask at the front desk for the Wi-Fi password._
   - _The Wi-Fi kept dropping during the video call, so we switched to our phones._
2. The built-in ability of a device or appliance to link up with a Wi-Fi network. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Being able to join a Wi-Fi network.
   - _They paid extra for the washing machine with Wi-Fi and never once connected it._
   - _Does this camera have Wi-Fi, or do I need a cable to move the photos?_
3. An individual wireless network that runs on Wi-Fi.
   - Simple: One wireless network that uses Wi-Fi.
   - _The airport offers two Wi-Fis, a free one and a faster paid one._
   - _Choose the Wi-Fi named after the cafe, not the one from the shop next door._
4. Any of several IEEE 802.11 standards for sending data wirelessly over short distances.
   - Simple: Any of several sets of technical rules for sending data without wires over short distances.
   - _The new chip supports the latest version of Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth._
   - _Wi-Fi and Bluetooth both use radio, but they were designed for different jobs._

## Verb

5. To connect to the internet through Wi-Fi.
   - Simple: To go on the internet by using Wi-Fi.
   - _Half the passengers in the departure lounge were Wi-Fi-ing on laptops and tablets._
   - _Travelers who Wi-Fi in hotel lobbies should be careful about typing passwords in public._
6. To equip something, such as a building or a device, with Wi-Fi.
   - Simple: To add Wi-Fi to a place or a machine.
   - _The city wants to Wi-Fi its parks and bus stops by next spring._
   - _Carmakers have been Wi-Fi-ing their new models so drivers can stream music._

## Origin

Coined on the analogy of hi-fi as a trade name for the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (later the Wi-Fi Alliance). It is often analyzed as short for "wireless fidelity", like hi-fi for "high fidelity", possibly because of the Alliance's former slogan, "The Standard for Wireless Fidelity".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/wi-fi (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).