firewall
firewall Lexical Profile
firewall Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A network security system, implemented through hardware or software, that monitors and filters incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules.
"The IT administrator configured the corporate firewall to block unauthorized access from external servers."
A fireproof wall or physical partition designed to prevent the spread of fire between adjacent rooms, sections of a building, or the engine compartment and passenger cabin of a vehicle.
"Building codes require a reinforced concrete firewall between the parking garage and the residential apartments."
An administrative, legal, or ethical barrier established to prevent conflicts of interest or the unauthorized exchange of confidential information between different departments or institutions.
"The newspaper maintains a strict firewall between its editorial board and its advertising sales department."
• verb
To protect, isolate, or restrict access to a computer network, system, or organization by means of a digital or institutional firewall.
"The company decided to firewall its sensitive research database from the rest of the local network."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the mid-19th century as a compound of "fire" and "wall," originally denoting a physical fireproof partition in buildings or steam locomotives. The computing sense emerged in the late 1980s as a metaphor for containing digital threats and preventing them from spreading across connected networks.