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Original · left

Pull (physical)

Exerting physical force inward toward oneself to bring an object closer.

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

Pull (version control)

Fetching the most recent changes from an upstream remote repository and merging them into the active local workspace.

First in use: c. 2005

Pull / Pull (physical) / Pull (version control)

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

Tugging vs. git pull.

Which meaning of Pull is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Pull (physical) came first (ancient / pre-modern). Pull (version control) arrived in 2005. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Pull (physical)Pull (version control)
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

Pull (physical)

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Duplicate · c. 2005

Pull (version control)

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More duplicated terms

Programming & software