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Original · left

Deadlock (standoff)

An impassable political or contractual standoff where neither party will budge, stalling progress entirely.

First in use: the 1700s
Duplicate · right

Deadlock (computing)

A concurrency bug where two or more threads freeze permanently because each holds a lock the other requires.

First in use: c. 1965

Deadlock / Deadlock (standoff) / Deadlock (computing)

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Political standoffs vs. frozen threads.

Which meaning of Deadlock is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Deadlock (standoff) came first (the 1700s). Deadlock (computing) arrived in 1965. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Deadlock (standoff)Deadlock (computing)
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Duplicate's share of attention

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The case for each meaning

Sourced definitions, usage stats and quotes

Original · the 1700s

Deadlock (standoff)

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Duplicate · c. 1965

Deadlock (computing)

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