diff --git a/browser/base/content/abouthome/aboutHome.xhtml b/browser/base/content/abouthome/aboutHome.xhtml
index 1fb2857d0815..264ee99bb996 100644
--- a/browser/base/content/abouthome/aboutHome.xhtml
+++ b/browser/base/content/abouthome/aboutHome.xhtml
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@
       <div id="searchIconAndTextContainer">
         <div id="searchIcon"/>
         <input type="text" name="q" value="" id="searchText" maxlength="256"
+               placeholder="&searchInput.placeholder;"
                aria-label="&contentSearchInput.label;" autofocus="autofocus"/>
         <input id="searchSubmit" type="button" onclick="onSearchSubmit(event)"
                title="&contentSearchSubmit.tooltip;"/>
diff --git a/browser/base/content/contentSearchUI.js b/browser/base/content/contentSearchUI.js
index 349bae8e7944..a218bc2487fe 100644
--- a/browser/base/content/contentSearchUI.js
+++ b/browser/base/content/contentSearchUI.js
@@ -599,7 +599,6 @@ ContentSearchUIController.prototype = {
     this._updateSearchWithHeader();
     document.getElementById("contentSearchSettingsButton").textContent =
       this._strings.searchSettings;
-    this.input.setAttribute("placeholder", this._strings.searchPlaceholder);
   },
 
   _updateDefaultEngineHeader() {
diff --git a/browser/base/content/newtab/newTab.xhtml b/browser/base/content/newtab/newTab.xhtml
index df6d62404df5..98fb60eab2cf 100644
--- a/browser/base/content/newtab/newTab.xhtml
+++ b/browser/base/content/newtab/newTab.xhtml
@@ -71,7 +71,8 @@
       <div id="newtab-search-form">
         <div id="newtab-search-icon"/>
         <input type="text" name="q" value="" id="newtab-search-text"
-             aria-label="&contentSearchInput.label;" maxlength="256"/>
+               placeholder="&searchInput.placeholder;"
+               aria-label="&contentSearchInput.label;" maxlength="256"/>
         <input id="newtab-search-submit" type="button"
              title="&contentSearchSubmit.tooltip;"/>
       </div>
diff --git a/browser/components/search/content/search.xml b/browser/components/search/content/search.xml
index 7b4fda4aa44f..2143194eecb0 100644
--- a/browser/components/search/content/search.xml
+++ b/browser/components/search/content/search.xml
@@ -10,8 +10,6 @@
 <!-- global XULCommandEvent -->
 
 <!DOCTYPE bindings [
-<!ENTITY % searchBarDTD SYSTEM "chrome://browser/locale/searchbar.dtd" >
-%searchBarDTD;
 <!ENTITY % browserDTD SYSTEM "chrome://browser/locale/browser.dtd">
 %browserDTD;
 ]>
@@ -38,6 +36,7 @@
                    anonid="searchbar-textbox"
                    type="autocomplete"
                    inputtype="search"
+                   placeholder="&searchInput.placeholder;"
                    flex="1"
                    autocompletepopup="PopupSearchAutoComplete"
                    autocompletesearch="search-autocomplete"
@@ -56,22 +55,20 @@
             <xul:image class="searchbar-search-button"
                        anonid="searchbar-search-button"
                        xbl:inherits="addengines"
-                       tooltiptext="&searchEndCap.label;"/>
+                       tooltiptext="&searchIcon.tooltip;"/>
           </xul:hbox>
         </xul:box>
         <xul:hbox class="search-go-container">
           <xul:image class="search-go-button" hidden="true"
                      anonid="search-go-button"
                      onclick="handleSearchCommand(event);"
-                     tooltiptext="&searchEndCap.label;"/>
+                     tooltiptext="&contentSearchSubmit.tooltip;"/>
         </xul:hbox>
       </xul:textbox>
     </content>
 
     <implementation implements="nsIObserver">
       <constructor><![CDATA[
-        this._textbox.placeholder = this._stringBundle.getString("searchPlaceholder");
-
         if (this.parentNode.parentNode.localName == "toolbarpaletteitem")
           return;
 
diff --git a/browser/locales/en-US/chrome/browser/browser.dtd b/browser/locales/en-US/chrome/browser/browser.dtd
index 891a9bd898e6..6ed575faa789 100644
--- a/browser/locales/en-US/chrome/browser/browser.dtd
+++ b/browser/locales/en-US/chrome/browser/browser.dtd
@@ -470,6 +470,11 @@ These should match what Safari and other Apple applications use on OS X Lion. --
 <!ENTITY contentSearchInput.label     "Search query">
 <!ENTITY contentSearchSubmit.tooltip  "Submit search">
 
+<!-- LOCALIZATION NOTE (searchInput.placeholder):
+     This string is displayed in the search box when the input field is empty. -->
+<!ENTITY searchInput.placeholder      "Search">
+<!ENTITY searchIcon.tooltip           "Search">
+
 <!-- LOCALIZATION NOTE (searchFor.label, searchWith.label):
      These two strings are used to build the header above the list of one-click
      search providers:  "Search for <used typed keywords> with:" -->
diff --git a/browser/locales/en-US/chrome/browser/searchbar.dtd b/browser/locales/en-US/chrome/browser/searchbar.dtd
deleted file mode 100644
index e5d18e4e8b21..000000000000
--- a/browser/locales/en-US/chrome/browser/searchbar.dtd
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-<!-- This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
-   - License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
-   - file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. -->
-
-<!ENTITY cmd_engineManager.label        "Manage Search Engines…">
-<!ENTITY searchEndCap.label             "Search">
diff --git a/browser/locales/jar.mn b/browser/locales/jar.mn
index b407aa99be38..52e58653d36b 100644
--- a/browser/locales/jar.mn
+++ b/browser/locales/jar.mn
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@
     locale/browser/safeMode.dtd                    (%chrome/browser/safeMode.dtd)
     locale/browser/sanitize.dtd                    (%chrome/browser/sanitize.dtd)
     locale/browser/search.properties               (%chrome/browser/search.properties)
-    locale/browser/searchbar.dtd                   (%chrome/browser/searchbar.dtd)
     locale/browser/sitePermissions.properties      (%chrome/browser/sitePermissions.properties)
     locale/browser/engineManager.properties        (%chrome/browser/engineManager.properties)
     locale/browser/setDesktopBackground.dtd        (%chrome/browser/setDesktopBackground.dtd)
diff --git a/browser/modules/ContentSearch.jsm b/browser/modules/ContentSearch.jsm
index a18fd7923c2f..7c779d133438 100644
--- a/browser/modules/ContentSearch.jsm
+++ b/browser/modules/ContentSearch.jsm
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ this.ContentSearch = {
     }
     this._searchSuggestionUIStrings = {};
     let searchBundle = Services.strings.createBundle("chrome://browser/locale/search.properties");
-    let stringNames = ["searchHeader", "searchPlaceholder", "searchForSomethingWith",
+    let stringNames = ["searchHeader", "searchForSomethingWith",
                        "searchWithHeader", "searchSettings"];
 
     for (let name of stringNames) {