The technology underpinning Li-Fi was pioneered by German physicist Harald Haas, currently based at the University of Edinburgh in the UK. Haas coined the term Li-Fi in 2011 in the context of a talk presenting the new technology at the TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) Global conference. The word quickly entered common parlance as an instantly recognisable alternative to WiFi. Both terms are examples of abbreviations linguists sometimes describe as clipped forms, i.e. WiFi = wireless fidelity, Li-Fi = light fidelity.