Meanings
- The large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the south shore of Long Island, New York, United States.
He stole his first Fire Island commission from another architect by seducing the clients, with whom he briefly formed a throuple. […] As Fire Island’s reputation grew, so did the fame of its residents. In 1977, after divorcing his first wife, Calvin Klein bought one of Gifford’s beachfront homes.
2025 June 11, Oliver Wainwright, “‘Made for sex’: the hedonistic party palaces of New York’s Fire Island – and the blond bombshell who made them”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 25 Aug 2025
Origin
- Dutchvijf“five”
- EnglishFire Island
Perhaps from a misinterpretation of Dutch vijf (“five”) or vier (“four”), referring to the number of islands.
More words from Dutch
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Fire Island. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Fire%20Island
“Fire Island.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Fire%20Island. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Fire Island,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Fire%20Island.
Source: Fire Island on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.