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Original · left

Mutual exclusion (logic)

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

Mutex (lock)

First in use: c. 1965

Mutex / Mutual exclusion (logic) / Mutex (lock)

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

Probability vs. concurrency.

Which meaning of Mutex is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Mutual exclusion (logic) came first (ancient / pre-modern). Mutex (lock) arrived in 1965. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Mutual exclusion (logic)Mutex (lock)
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

Mutual exclusion (logic)

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Duplicate · c. 1965

Mutex (lock)

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More duplicated terms

Programming & software