firmware

See also: Firmware

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Medieval Latin firma

Medieval Latin fermader.

Old French fermebor.

Middle English ferme

English firm

Proto-Indo-European *sem-

Proto-Germanic *samþuz / *samftuz

Proto-Indo-European *-yos

Proto-Indo-European *-yós

Proto-Germanic *-jaz

Proto-West Germanic *-ī

Proto-West Germanic *samft(ī)

Old English sōfte

Middle English softe

English soft

Proto-Germanic *warō

Proto-West Germanic *waru

Old English waru

Middle English ware

English -ware

English softwarebf.

English -ware

English firmware

From firm + -ware. Coined in an article in 1967 as an intermediary term between hardware and software.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

firmware (uncountable)

1. (computing) A permanent form of software that provides a low-level control of computing device hardware.
2. (computing, software) Software that is intended for such embedded computer applications.

Derived terms

• firmware engineer

Descendants

• → Amharic: ፈርምዌር (färməwer)
• → German: Firmware
• → Spanish: firmware

Translations

firmware

• Arabic: بَرْنَامِج ثَابِت m (barnāmij ṯābit)
• Armenian: ներկառուցված ծրագրային ապահովում (nerkaṙucʻvac cragrayin apahovum), ներկառուցված ծրագրաշար (nerkaṙucʻvac cragrašar), պռաշիվկա (pṙašivka)
• Belarusian: прашыўка f (prašywka), убудаванае ПЗ n (ubudavanaje PZ)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 固件 (zh) (gùjiàn), 韌體 / 韧体 (zh) (rèntǐ), 塑體 / 塑体 (sùtǐ)

• Esperanto: mikroprogramaro, integrita programaro, firmprogramo, firmvaro
• Finnish: laiteohjelmisto, firmware (fi), firmis (colloquial); sulautettu ohjelma, laiteohjelma (program)
• French: micrologiciel (fr) m (Canada), firmware (fr) m (Europe), logiciel interne m, microprogramme (fr) m
• Georgian: მიკროპროგრამა (miḳroṗrograma)
• German: Firmware (de) f
• Hebrew: קושחה f
• Hungarian: készülékszoftver (hu), firmware (hu)
• Icelandic: fastbúnaður m
• Indonesian: perangkat tegar, peranti tegar (literally “robust equipment”)
• Italian: firmware (it) m
• Japanese: ファームウェア (fāmuwea)
• Korean: 펌웨어 (peomweeo)
• Lithuanian: įmontuotoji programinė įranga (lt) ?
• Macedonian: вграден софтвер m (vgraden softver), фирмвер m (firmver)
• Malay: perisian tegar (literally “robust software”)
• Māori: pūmanamārō
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: fastvare m or f

  Nynorsk: fastvare f

• Polish: oprogramowanie sprzętowe (pl) n, oprogramowanie układowe (pl) n
• Portuguese: firmware m
• Russian: микропрогра́мма (ru) f (mikroprográmma), проши́вка (ru) f (prošívka), фи́рмвер m (fírmver), фирмве́р m (firmvér), встроенное ПО n (vstrojennoje PO)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Latin: ugrađeni softver m, firmver m

• Slovene: strojna programska oprema f
• Spanish: firmware m, soporte lógico inalterable m
• Swedish: firmware (sv) c, fast programvara (sv) c, inbyggd programvara c
• Thai: เฟิร์มแวร์ (ferm-wae)
• Turkish: donanım yazılımı (tr), bellenim (tr)
• Ukrainian: мікропрограма f (mikroprohrama), вбудоване ПЗ n (vbudovane PZ)
• Vietnamese: phần lõi
• Welsh: cadarnwedd f

Further reading

• firmware on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “firmware”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Finnish

Etymology

From English firmware.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈføːmʋeø/, [ˈfø̞ːmʋe̞ø̞]
• IPA^(key): /ˈførmʋer/, [ˈfø̞r.mʋe̞r]
• IPA^(key): /ˈfirmʋɑre/, [ˈfir.mʋɑ̝re̞]
• Rhymes: -øːmʋeø

Noun

firmware

1. (computing) firmware

Declension

The inflection of this word is problematic. Joukahainen puts it in nalle-category, but it would really require Finnicized pronunciation: /ˈfirmˌʋɑre̞/. As most people tend to pronounce the word more or less like in English, it should rather be of risti-type. It's probably advisable to avoid using the inflected forms in writing and use the provided Finnish synonyms instead.

Inflection of firmware (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)
nominative		firmware	firmwaret
genitive		firmwaren	firmwarejen
partitive		firmwarea	firmwareja
illative		firmwareen	firmwareihin
		singular	plural
nominative		firmware	firmwaret
accusative	nom.	firmware	firmwaret
	gen.	firmwaren
genitive		firmwaren	firmwarejen firmwarein rare
partitive		firmwarea	firmwareja
inessive		firmwaressa	firmwareissa
elative		firmwaresta	firmwareista
illative		firmwareen	firmwareihin
adessive		firmwarella	firmwareilla
ablative		firmwarelta	firmwareilta
allative		firmwarelle	firmwareille
essive		firmwarena	firmwareina
translative		firmwareksi	firmwareiksi
abessive		firmwaretta	firmwareitta
instructive		—	firmwarein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of firmware (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative firmwareni firmwareni accusative nom. firmwareni firmwareni gen. firmwareni genitive firmwareni firmwarejeni firmwareini rare partitive firmwareani firmwarejani inessive firmwaressani firmwareissani elative firmwarestani firmwareistani illative firmwareeni firmwareihini adessive firmwarellani firmwareillani ablative firmwareltani firmwareiltani allative firmwarelleni firmwareilleni essive firmwarenani firmwareinani translative firmwarekseni firmwareikseni abessive firmwarettani firmwareittani instructive — — comitative — firmwareineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative firmwaresi firmwaresi accusative nom. firmwaresi firmwaresi gen. firmwaresi genitive firmwaresi firmwarejesi firmwareisi rare partitive firmwareasi firmwarejasi inessive firmwaressasi firmwareissasi elative firmwarestasi firmwareistasi illative firmwareesi firmwareihisi adessive firmwarellasi firmwareillasi ablative firmwareltasi firmwareiltasi allative firmwarellesi firmwareillesi essive firmwarenasi firmwareinasi translative firmwareksesi firmwareiksesi abessive firmwarettasi firmwareittasi instructive — — comitative — firmwareinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative firmwaremme firmwaremme accusative nom. firmwaremme firmwaremme gen. firmwaremme genitive firmwaremme firmwarejemme firmwareimme rare partitive firmwareamme firmwarejamme inessive firmwaressamme firmwareissamme elative firmwarestamme firmwareistamme illative firmwareemme firmwareihimme adessive firmwarellamme firmwareillamme ablative firmwareltamme firmwareiltamme allative firmwarellemme firmwareillemme essive firmwarenamme firmwareinamme translative firmwareksemme firmwareiksemme abessive firmwarettamme firmwareittamme instructive — — comitative — firmwareinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative firmwarenne firmwarenne accusative nom. firmwarenne firmwarenne gen. firmwarenne genitive firmwarenne firmwarejenne firmwareinne rare partitive firmwareanne firmwarejanne inessive firmwaressanne firmwareissanne elative firmwarestanne firmwareistanne illative firmwareenne firmwareihinne adessive firmwarellanne firmwareillanne ablative firmwareltanne firmwareiltanne allative firmwarellenne firmwareillenne essive firmwarenanne firmwareinanne translative firmwareksenne firmwareiksenne abessive firmwarettanne firmwareittanne instructive — — comitative — firmwareinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative firmwarensa firmwarensa accusative nom. firmwarensa firmwarensa gen. firmwarensa genitive firmwarensa firmwarejensa firmwareinsa rare partitive firmwareaan firmwareansa firmwarejaan firmwarejansa inessive firmwaressaan firmwaressansa firmwareissaan firmwareissansa elative firmwarestaan firmwarestansa firmwareistaan firmwareistansa illative firmwareensa firmwareihinsa adessive firmwarellaan firmwarellansa firmwareillaan firmwareillansa ablative firmwareltaan firmwareltansa firmwareiltaan firmwareiltansa allative firmwarelleen firmwarellensa firmwareilleen firmwareillensa essive firmwarenaan firmwarenansa firmwareinaan firmwareinansa translative firmwarekseen firmwareksensa firmwareikseen firmwareiksensa abessive firmwarettaan firmwarettansa firmwareittaan firmwareittansa instructive — — comitative — firmwareineen firmwareinensa

Synonyms

• laiteohjelmisto
• laiteohjelma (program)
• sulautettu ohjelma (program)
• firmis (slang)

Derived terms

• firmis

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English firmware.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fœʁ.mwɛʁ/, /fɛʁ.mwɛʁ/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

Noun

firmware m (plural firmwares)

1. (computing) firmware

   Synonym: micrologiciel

Italian

Noun

firmware m (invariable)

1. (computing) firmware (software closely tied to the hardware on which it runs)

Further reading

• “firmware”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Medieval Latin firma

Medieval Latin fermader.

Old French fermebor.

Middle English ferme

English firm

Proto-Indo-European *sem-

Proto-Germanic *samþuz / *samftuz

Proto-Indo-European *-yos

Proto-Indo-European *-yós

Proto-Germanic *-jaz

Proto-West Germanic *-ī

Proto-West Germanic *samft(ī)

Old English sōfte

Middle English softe

English soft

Proto-Germanic *warō

Proto-West Germanic *waru

Old English waru

Middle English ware

English -ware

English softwarebf.

English -ware

English firmwareubor.

Portuguese firmware

Unadapted borrowing from English firmware.

Noun

firmware m (plural firmwares)

1. (computing) firmware (software closely tied to the hardware on which it runs)

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fiɾˈmweɾ/ [fiɾˈmweɾ]
• IPA^(key): /fiɾmˈweɾ/ [fiɾmˈweɾ]
• Rhymes: -eɾ

Noun

firmware m (plural firmwares)

1. firmware