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Original · left

Freeze (ice)

The thermal phase shift turning liquid water into solid ice at or below 0°C.

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

Freeze (software)

An administrative lockdown preventing new code merges before a release, or an application UI becoming totally unresponsive.

First in use: the 1980s

Freeze / Freeze (ice) / Freeze (software)

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Colour keyGrey · original meaningGreen · duplicate meaningAmber · contested (40–60%)How colours work

Ice vs. code freezes and hung apps.

Which meaning of Freeze is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Freeze (ice) came first (ancient / pre-modern). Freeze (software) arrived in the 1980s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Freeze (ice)Freeze (software)
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 · ancient / pre-modern

Freeze (ice)

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Duplicate · the 1980s

Freeze (software)

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More duplicated terms

Programming & software