Standard Lemma guide

Firefox

name · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈfaɪəfɒks/
  • General-American: /ˈfaɪɚfɑks/
  • CMU ARPABET: F AY1 ER0 F AO2 K S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

A free, open-source, cross-platform, graphical web browser, developed by the Mozilla Foundation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences, software

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: FF, Fx

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Red panda

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A mythical creature in Finnish folklore, a fox with fiery or radiant fur, the reflection of which produces the northern lights.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

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”.

Calque from Mandarin 火狐 (huǒhú, literally “fire fox”).

Calque of Finnish tulikettu or Finnish tulirepo.

Across languages

Translations

20 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: فَيَرْفُكْس (fayarfuks) — open-source web browser
  • Armenian: Ֆայրֆոքս (Fayrfokʻs) — open-source web browser
  • Armenian: Կրակաղվես (Krakaġves) — open-source web browser
  • Bulgarian: Фа́йърфокс (Fájǎrfoks) — open-source web browser
  • Chinese Mandarin: 火狐 (huǒhú) — open-source web browser
  • Esperanto: Fajrovulpo — open-source web browser
  • Finnish: Firefox — open-source web browser
  • Georgian: ფაირფოქსი (pairpoksi) — open-source web browser
  • German: Firefox — open-source web browser
  • Hebrew: פיירפוקס (Fayerfoks) — open-source web browser
  • Japanese: ファイアフォックス (Faiafokkusu) — open-source web browser
  • Japanese: 火狐 (higitsune) — open-source web browser
  • Korean: 파이어폭스 (Paieopokseu) — open-source web browser
  • Persian: فایرفاکس (fâyrfâks) — open-source web browser
  • Russian: Firefox — open-source web browser
  • Russian: Огнелис (Ognelis) — open-source web browser
  • Russian: Файрфокс (Fajrfoks) — open-source web browser
  • Finnish: tulikettu — Translations
  • Finnish: tulikko — Translations
  • Finnish: tulirepo — Translations