'Wi-Fi' Wins Webster's Attention

Wi-Fi is no longer just a wireless technology: it's now an official word, too, because it's included in the new edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary.

Actually Wi-Fi is an acronym -- it's the shorthand version of Wireless Fidelity, although the technology phenomenon that has been sweeping the world is known to millions of users simply as "Wi-Fi."

Frank Hanzlik, managing director of the Wi-Fi Alliance, hailed the inclusion of Wi-Fi in the dictionary, which is including nearly 100 new words and terms in the 2005 Eleventh Edition of the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

"You know you've truly made it when you're in Webster's dictionary," said Hanzlik in a statement. "Webster's is a highly respected source for word definitions, so appearing in the dictionary lends real credibility to everything the Wi-Fi Alliance has been working toward." The non-profit Wi-Fi Alliance has more than 200 members promoting wireless LANs and interoperability based on the IEEE 802.11 specification.