firebug en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥ Proto-Germanic *fōr Proto-West Germanic *fuir Old English fȳr Middle English fyr English fire English bug English firebug From fire + bug.
Meanings
- Pyrrhocoris apterus, a common red and black insect, that is the type species of the family Pyrrhocoridae.
-
(slang) A pyromaniac or arsonist.
In the video, she can be heard explaining to the firebugs that she has been working with victims of the wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate.
2025 January 12, Jared Downing, “TikToker captures careless idiots releasing lantern balloons on Southern California beach as LA burns: ‘ Do you even know what’s happening?’”, in New York Post:But the firebug allegedly ran back inside yelling before he finally took off.
2024 August 9, Gabriella Bass, Jorge Fitz-Gibbon and Joe Marino, “Firebug accused of torching NYC building, injuring 9 is freed without bail, back in neighborhood”, in New York Post:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| firebugs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Translations (32)
ca coralet (Pyrrhocoris apterus) · sq çimkë e shullanit (Pyrrhocoris apterus) · bg светулка (Pyrrhocoris apterus) · cy llyslau tanbaid (Pyrrhocoris apterus) · el πυγολαμπίδα (Pyrrhocoris apterus) · ru поджигатель (pyromaniac or arsonist) · pl piromanka (pyromaniac or arsonist) · fi tulilude (Pyrrhocoris apterus) · de Feuerteufel (pyromaniac or arsonist) · fr pyromane (pyromaniac or arsonist) · es pirómano (pyromaniac or arsonist) · es chinche de la malva arbórea (Pyrrhocoris apterus) · ca piròman (pyromaniac or arsonist) · ru клоп-солдатик (Pyrrhocoris apterus) · bg подпалвач (pyromaniac or arsonist) · el κωλοφωτιά (Pyrrhocoris apterus) · cy bonffaglwr (pyromaniac or arsonist) · cs žhář (pyromaniac or arsonist) · hu gyújtogató (pyromaniac or arsonist) · pl podpalacz (pyromaniac or arsonist) · ja 放火魔 (pyromaniac or arsonist) · fr pyrrhocore (Pyrrhocoris apterus) · pl podpalaczka (pyromaniac or arsonist) · ca piròmana (pyromaniac or arsonist) · pl kowalik (Pyrrhocoris apterus) · tr alev tahtakurusu (Pyrrhocoris apterus) · fr gendarme (Pyrrhocoris apterus) · de Feuerwanze (Pyrrhocoris apterus) · pl tramwajarz (Pyrrhocoris apterus) · eo ruĝa cimo (Pyrrhocoris apterus) · pl piroman (pyromaniac or arsonist) · ro vaca-domnului (Pyrrhocoris apterus)