FIDO

American  

[fahy-doh] / ˈfaɪ doʊ /

noun

Aeronautics.

1. a system for evaporating the fog above airfield runways by the heat from burners.

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Etymology

Origin of FIDO

1940–45; f(og) i(nvestigation) d(ispersal) o(perations)

Explanation

Fido may sound like a dog's name, but it's also a term for a rare, collectible coin with a mistake in its design. Coin collectors get excited when they come upon a fido (dog lovers do too). Fido, coined in 1967 by coin experts, is an acronym of "freaks, irregulars, defects, and oddities." These coins, considered defective by the mints that produced them, are exciting prizes to numismatists, or coin collectors. Examples of valuable fidos include the "three-legged buffalo," a buffalo nickel that was minted with a missing leg in 1937 and is now worth over $100,000.

Example Sentences

Sam French, who runs FIDO, said: "It was a really great outcome for Maisie but as a society we need to think about the impact fireworks have on dogs."

From BBC • Nov. 15, 2022

Apple has announced that the next version of iOS and macOS will include an authentication system that uses the passkeys standard developed by FIDO.

From The Verge • Jun. 29, 2022

But the hope is that this new authentication approach can be a first step toward phasing out the master password entirely, as the industry moves toward passwordless authentication using standards such as FIDO.

From The Verge • Jun. 6, 2022

He ended up working for Britain’s Petroleum Warfare Department and sharing a patent for something called FIDO, or Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation, which helped clear fog so aircraft could land in bad weather conditions.

From Slate • Dec. 20, 2021

To the memory of three Dogs, JACK, FIDO, & TIP.

From Time Magazine Archive

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