A small graphic that is associated with a page or Web site. The favicon allows the Web developer to customize the site in the Web browser, both in the tab bar that is displayed in many browsers as well as in the bookmarks when a site is saved.
It was named the favicon because it was first developed in Internet Explorer, which calls bookmarked sites "favourites" and this icon was displayed in the favourites menu.
Most site favicons are designed as a small rendition of their logo or other branding mechanism.