a HackerNoon project
Original · left

Log (wood)

A thick, rough-barked segment of tree trunk felled for lumber or fireplace fuel.

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

Log file

A continuous, chronological text file logging system events, errors, access attempts, and operational timestamps.

First in use: the 1960s

Log / Log (wood) / Log file

Loading data…
Canonical todayMeasuring…
Status—
Duplicate share · 12 mo—
Last crossover—
Colour keyGrey · original meaningGreen · duplicate meaningAmber · contested (40–60%)How colours work

Firewood (and ships' logs) vs. syslog.

Which meaning of Log is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Log (wood) came first (ancient / pre-modern). Log file arrived in the 1960s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Log (wood)Log file
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

Log (wood)

Loading the Wikipedia definition…

12-mo pageviews—
Year over year—
Peak month—
Duplicate · the 1960s

Log file

Loading the Wikipedia definition…

12-mo pageviews—
Year over year—
Peak month—

More duplicated terms

Cloud & infrastructure