firefox
English · Thesaurus
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Firefox¹
- /ˈfaɪəfɒks/ UK
- /ˈfaɪɚfɑks/ US
Where it comes from
Renamed from Firebird in 2004. The reasoning given for the name, explained as another name for the red panda (see firefox), was, “It's similar to Firebird. It's easy to remember. It sounds good. It's unique. We like it. And we weren't able to find any other project or company even remotely similar to a web browser that uses the same name.” The logo depicts a fox (hence the name is equivalent to fire + fox); its original designer, Jon Hicks, has stated, “A firefox is actually a cute red panda, but it didn’t really conjure up the right imagery. The only concept I had done that I felt happy with was […] inspired by seeing a Japanese brush painting of a fox”.
firefox²
- /ˈfaɪəfɒks/ UK
- /ˈfaɪɚfɑks/ US
Where it comes from
Calque from Mandarin 火狐 (huǒhú, literally “fire fox”).
noun firefoxes
- Red panda
firefox³
- /ˈfaɪəfɒks/ UK
- /ˈfaɪɚfɑks/ US
Where it comes from
Calque of Finnish tulikettu or Finnish tulirepo.
noun firefoxes
- A mythical creature in Finnish folklore, a fox with fiery or radiant fur, the reflection of which produces the northern lights.
Translations
Talk about this word "firefox." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/firefox. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. firefox. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/firefox "firefox." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/firefox.Cite this
@misc{firefox_2026,
title = {firefox},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/firefox},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
