fidelity
Definitions
Faithfulness and loyalty to a person, cause, or duty
忠诚，忠实
The degree to which a copy or reproduction is accurate (esp. of sound)
（尤指声音的）保真度，逼真度
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedfid (faith) + -ity (state) = the state of being faithful. Between people it means loyalty (marital fidelity, fidelity to a cause). Engineers borrowed it for sound: 'high fidelity' means a recording stays faithful to the original — the same idea of staying true, applied to audio.
Root fid still carries 16 more wordsWhy It Means This
One word, two worlds — but the same core idea: staying true. Human fidelity is staying true to a partner or a promise; audio fidelity is a recording staying true to the real sound. The leap from morals to machines happened because engineers needed a word for 'faithful reproduction,' and Latin fidēs already meant exactly that.
Common Collocations
- 1.fidelity to忠于
- 2.marital fidelity婚姻忠诚
- 3.high fidelity高保真
- 4.with great fidelity极为忠实地
Example Sentences
- 1.
The novel explores themes of love and fidelity.
- 2.
The translation reproduces the original with great fidelity.
- 3.
High-fidelity speakers reproduce sound with remarkable clarity.