firewall
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firewall
- /ˈfaɪə.wɔəl/ UK
- /ˈfaɪ.əˌwɔːl/ UK
- /ˈfaɪ(ə)ɹˌwɔl/ US
- /ˈfaɪ(ə)ɹˌwɑl/ US
Where it comes from
From fire + wall. Compare West Frisian brânmuorre, Dutch brandmuur, German Brandmauer, Feuermauer, Swedish brandvägg, brandmur, Icelandic eldvegg. The verb sense for using maximum power or acceleration comes from the engine's firewall being the limit of forward movement of the throttle controls on many simpler vehicles; thus, to get the maximum engine output, one would push the throttle levers or pedal all the way to the firewall. The politics sense is a calque of German Brandmauer.
noun firewalls
- A fireproof barrier used to prevent the spread of fire between or through buildings, structures, electrical substation transformers, or within an aircraft or vehicle.
- The software that monitors traffic in and out of a private network or a personal computer and allows or blocks such traffic depending on its perceived threat.
- A hypothetical phenomenon where an observer falling into a black hole encounters high-energy quanta at or near the event horizon.
- An ethical wall; an organizational or legal separation between two entities that might otherwise cause conflicts of interest. The book explains this in Adam Hochberg's (@adamhochberg) chapter discussing the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism's concerns related to non-profit news organizations: donor transparency, editorial independence, the firewall between journalism and fundraising, and conflicts of interest.
- An unwritten agreement among major political parties to refuse to govern or cooperate with national conservative and ultranationalist parties. "Honest government must be preceded by honest negotiations," Mr Kickl said when Austria's president tasked him with beginning coalition talks after the centrist firewall failed.
verb firewalls · firewalling · firewalled
- To protect with a firewall.
- To block with a firewall.
- To use maximum engine power or acceleration.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: fire, server, cybersecurity, stateful, security, homed, guard, shield, filter, barrier, protector, gatekeeper, safeguard, buffer, wall, defense
Translations
Every language
noun fireproof barrier
| Español | muro cortafuego |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 방화벽 banghwabyeok |
| 日本語 | 防火壁 bōkaheki |
| Português | parede corta-fogo |
| Français | mur coupe-feu |
| Deutsch | Brandmauer, Brandwand |
| Ελληνικά | αλεξίπυρο διάφραγμα alexípyro diáfragma |
| Русский | о́гненный барье́р ógnennyj barʹjér, брандма́уэр brandmáuer |
noun computer software
| Español | cortafuegos, firewall, cortafuego |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 방화벽 banghwabyeok |
| 日本語 | ファイアーウォール faiāwōru |
| 中文 | 防火牆 /防火墙 fánghuǒqiáng |
| हिन्दी | फ़ायरवॉल fāyarvŏl |
| Português | firewall |
| Français | pare-feu |
| Deutsch | Firewall |
| Ελληνικά | τείχος προστασίας teíchos prostasías |
| Русский | межсетево́й экра́н mežsetevój ekrán, брандма́уэр brandmáuer, файрво́лл fajrvóll |
| Tiếng Việt | tường lửa |
| العربية | جِدَار ناريّ, فَايْرْوُول fayrwōl |
Talk about this word "firewall." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/firewall. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. firewall. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/firewall "firewall." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/firewall.Cite this
@misc{firewall_2026,
title = {firewall},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/firewall},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
