firewall

English Online Dictionary. What means firewall‎? What does firewall mean?

English

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈfaɪə.wɔəl/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈfaɪ.əˌwɔːl/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈfaɪ(ə)ɹˌwɔl/, /ˈfaɪ(ə)ɹˌwɑl/

Noun

firewall (plural firewalls)

1. (architecture) A fireproof barrier used to prevent the spread of fire between or through buildings, structures, electrical substation transformers, or within an aircraft or vehicle.

   Coordinate terms: firestop, fire block

2. (computer security) 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.
3. (physics) A hypothetical phenomenon where an observer falling into a black hole encounters high-energy quanta at or near the event horizon.

Derived terms

• Great Firewall of China, Chinese firewall

Translations

Verb

firewall (third-person singular simple present firewalls, present participle firewalling, simple past and past participle firewalled)

1. (transitive, computer security) To protect with a firewall.
2. (transitive, computer security) To block with a firewall.
3. (intransitive, motor vehicles or aircraft, slang) To use maximum engine power or acceleration.

Further reading

• firewall on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• firewall (construction) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Czech

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English firewall.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈfajr̩voːl]

Noun

firewall m inan

1. (computing) firewall

Declension

Further reading

• “firewall”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech)

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English firewall.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: fi‧re‧wall

Noun

firewall m or f (plural firewalls)

1. (computer security) firewall (computer software that monitors traffic in a network)

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English firewall.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ol

Noun

firewall m (plural firewalls)

1. (computing) firewall

   Synonym: cortafuegos

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.