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Original · left

Crash (collision)

A sudden, violent physical impact or vehicular collision accompanied by a loud noise.

First in use: the 1400s
Duplicate · right

Crash (computing)

An abrupt, unplanned software shutdown or operating system halt caused by an unhandled system failure.

First in use: the 1950s

Crash / Crash (collision) / Crash (computing)

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

Car wrecks vs. blue screens.

Which meaning of Crash is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Crash (collision) came first (the 1400s). Crash (computing) arrived in the 1950s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Crash (collision)Crash (computing)
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

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The case for each meaning

Sourced definitions, usage stats and quotes

Original · the 1400s

Crash (collision)

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Duplicate · the 1950s

Crash (computing)

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More duplicated terms

Programming & software