firewall en · NOUN
Pronunciation
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. The politics sense is a calque of German Brandmauer.
Meanings
- A fireproof barrier used to prevent the spread of fire between or through buildings, structures, electrical substation transformers, or within an aircraft or vehicle.
- (qualifier: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.
- 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.
2017 July 6, Jeremy Harris Lipschultz, Social Media Communication: Concepts, Practices, Data, Law and Ethics, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN, page 275:
-
(Germany, especially) An unwritten agreement among major political parties to refuse to govern or cooperate with national conservative and ultranationalist parties.
Other firewalls have fallen around Europe, including in the Netherlands, Hungary and Italy. In Austria, the hard-right Freedom Party has been part of federal coalitions and appeared set to lead its next government, before negotiations with a center-right party collapsed this week.
2025 February 14, Jim Tankersley, Steven Erlanger, David E. Sanger, “Vance Tells Europeans to Stop Shunning Parties Deemed Extreme”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 15 Feb 2025:Most of the time, German parties come to power in states and nationally by forming coalitions. As long as the firewall holds, the only way the AfD can take power is by winning a straight-up majority. Which is what it seems poised to do in the September elections.
2026 January 30, Marc Felix Serrao, “Germany's Far Right Is on the Threshold of Power. This Man Is Leading the Charge.”, in Politico, archived from the original on 31 Jan 2026:"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.
2025 January 12, James Crisp, Meike Eijsberg, “The great firewall keeping out the hard-Right collapses across Europe”, in Chris Evans, editor, The Daily Telegraph, London: Telegraph Media Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 Jan 2025:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| firewalls | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
fire block · bulkhead · firestop
Deriveds
Chinese firewall · Great Firewall of China
Translations (117)
mk огнен ѕид (computer software) · sh vatrozid (computer software) · es cortafuego (computer software) · sh ватрени зид (computer software) · sq muri i zjarrit (fireproof barrier) · el αλεξίπυρο διάφραγμα (fireproof barrier) · nv kǫʼ bidáadinílei (fireproof barrier) · km ជញ្ជាំងភ្លើង (fireproof barrier) · fi paloseinä (fireproof barrier) · id tembok api (computer software) · sh fajervol (computer software) · sh сигурносна стијена (computer software) · hy հակահրդեհային պատ (fireproof barrier) · ar جِدَار ناريّ (computer software) · eo fajroŝirmilo (computer software) · ka ქსელის დამცავი კედელი (computer software) · ru брандма́уэр (fireproof barrier) · kk желіаралық қалқан (computer software) · sh ватробран (fireproof barrier) · hu tűzfal (computer software) · ar فَايْرْوُول (computer software) · gl cortalumes (fireproof barrier) · tr ateş duvarı (computer software) · hy հրապատ (computer software) · sh фајервал (computer software) · cmn 防火牆 /防火墙 (computer software) · sh ватрозид (computer software) · sh vatrobran (computer software) · hu tűzfal (fireproof barrier) · pl ściana ogniowa (fireproof barrier) · fr mur coupe-feu (fireproof barrier) · gl cortalumes (computer software) · es muro cortafuego (fireproof barrier) · eu suebaki (computer software) · ka ცეცხლგამძლე კედელი (fireproof barrier) · sv brandvägg (computer software) · mk противпожарен ѕид (fireproof barrier) · mi pātūahi (fireproof barrier) · ko 방화벽 (fireproof barrier) · ja ファイアーウォール (computer software) · de Firewall (computer software) · nl vuurmuur (computer software) · et tulemüür (computer software) · nn brannmur (fireproof barrier) · ga balla dóiteáin (computer software) · az qoruyucu divar (computer software) · uk брандмауер (fireproof barrier) · sh vatrobran (fireproof barrier) · bg защитна стена (computer software) · hi फ़ायरवॉल (computer software) · gl devasa (computer software) · hy անկիզապատ (fireproof barrier) · az fayrvol (computer software) · nb brannmur (computer software) · nl brandmuur (fireproof barrier) · tr güvenlik duvarı (fireproof barrier) · de Brandmauer (fireproof barrier) · nn brannmur (computer software) · ko 방화벽 (computer software) · mk заштитен ѕид (computer software) · fi palomuuri (computer software) · pt firewall (computer software) · sl zaščitni zid (computer software) · gd cachaileith-theine (computer software) · ms tembok api (computer software) · sl požarni zid (computer software) · ru межсетево́й экра́н (computer software) · fr pare-feu (computer software) · th ไฟร์วอลล์ (computer software) · nv kǫʼ bichʼą́ą́h naníʼáhígíí (fireproof barrier) · id tembok pelindung (computer software) · de Brandwand (fireproof barrier) · vi tường lửa (computer software) · ka ქსელის დაცვა (computer software) · eo fajromuro (computer software) · fi palomuuri (fireproof barrier) · nb brannmur (fireproof barrier) · kk брандмауэр (fireproof barrier) · nl firewall (computer software) · is eldveggur (computer software) · ja 防火壁 (fireproof barrier) · et tulemüür (fireproof barrier) · km ជញ្ជាំងភ្លើង (computer software) · ms tembok api (fireproof barrier) · pt parede corta-fogo (fireproof barrier) · tr güvenlik duvarı (computer software) · da brandmur (fireproof barrier) · eu suebaki (fireproof barrier) · ka ფაირვოლი (computer software) · ka ხანძარსაწინააღმდეგო კედელი (fireproof barrier) · ru о́гненный барье́р (fireproof barrier) · ru брандма́уэр (computer software) · sh vatreni zid (computer software) · ka ბრანდმაუერი (fireproof barrier) · gl muro cortalumes (fireproof barrier) · th ไฟร์วอลล์ (fireproof barrier) · mi pātūahi (computer software) · sh zaštitni zid (computer software) · pt firewall (computer software) · sh заштитни зид (computer software) · zh 防火牆 /防火墙 (fireproof barrier) · sh фајервол (computer software) · th ด่านกันบุกรุก (fireproof barrier) · gu આગભીંત (computer software) · sk firewall (computer software) · lv ugunsmūris (computer software) · sh ватробран (computer software) · cs firewall (computer software) · es cortafuegos (computer software) · pl zapora sieciowa (computer software) · bg огнеупорна стена (fireproof barrier) · sh sigurnosna stijena (computer software) · sh fajerval (computer software) · ru файрво́лл (computer software) · el τείχος προστασίας (computer software) · es firewall (computer software) · ca tallafoc (computer software)