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Original · left

Gutter (roof)

A shallow metal trough fixed along roof eaves to catch and channel away rainwater.

First in use: the 1300s
Duplicate · right

Gutter (code editor)

The narrow vertical margin positioned beside line numbers in a code editor that displays breakpoints, diffs, and fold markers.

First in use: the 1990s

Gutter / Gutter (roof) / Gutter (code editor)

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

Rain troughs vs. breakpoint margins.

Which meaning of Gutter is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Gutter (roof) came first (the 1300s). Gutter (code editor) arrived in the 1990s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Gutter (roof)Gutter (code editor)
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 · the 1300s

Gutter (roof)

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Duplicate · the 1990s

Gutter (code editor)

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More duplicated terms

Programming & software