low-fidelity
|low-fi-del-i-ty|
🇺🇸
/ˌloʊ fɪˈdɛləti/
🇬🇧
/ˌləʊ fɪˈdɛlɪti/
not faithful to the original
Etymology
'low-fidelity' originates from Modern English as a compound of 'low' + 'fidelity', where 'low' meant 'not high' and 'fidelity' comes from Latin 'fidelitas' (related to 'fidelis') meaning 'faithfulness'.
'fidelity' changed from Latin 'fidelitas' into Old French 'fidelite' and then into Middle/Modern English as 'fidelity'. The compound 'low-fidelity' arose in Modern English (notably in the 20th century) to describe audio/visual reproduction with reduced accuracy. 'low' has roots in Old English and other Germanic forms meaning 'not high'.
Originally 'fidelity' meant 'faithfulness' (to a person, idea, or thing). Over time the compound 'low-fidelity' came to mean specifically reduced faithfulness in technical reproduction (especially sound and images) rather than moral or personal faithfulness.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the state or quality of being low-fidelity; a recording or reproduction that lacks fidelity to the original.
The band deliberately used low-fidelity on the album.
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Adjective 1
of sound, images, or reproduction: having lower technical quality or accuracy; not faithfully reproducing the original (opposite of 'high-fidelity').
a low-fidelity recording
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Last updated: 2025/12/02 16:48