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Original · left

Breadcrumb (bread)

A tiny morsel of dry bread flaked off a loaf or scattered to mark a trail.

First in use: ancient / pre-modern
Duplicate · right

Breadcrumb navigation

A horizontal navigation trail displaying a user's location hierarchy within a website (e.g., Home > Hardware > Monitors).

First in use: the 1990s

Breadcrumb / Breadcrumb (bread) / Breadcrumb navigation

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Duplicate share · 12 mo—
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Colour keyGrey · original meaningGreen · duplicate meaningAmber · contested (40–60%)How colours work

Hansel and Gretel vs. Home > Hardware > Monitors.

Which meaning of Breadcrumb is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Breadcrumb (bread) came first (ancient / pre-modern). Breadcrumb navigation arrived in the 1990s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Breadcrumb (bread)Breadcrumb navigation
English Wikipedia pageviews since July 2015 load here.

Duplicate's share of attention

Green line = duplicate's % · above 60 it owns the word · below 40 the original does

Share-of-attention line loads here.

The case for each meaning

Sourced definitions, usage stats and quotes

Original · ancient / pre-modern

Breadcrumb (bread)

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Duplicate · the 1990s

Breadcrumb navigation

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More duplicated terms

Design & UX