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Original · left

Rag (cloth)

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

Retrieval-augmented generation

First in use: c. 2020

RAG / Rag (cloth) / Retrieval-augmented generation

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

A scrap of cloth vs. Meta's 2020 paper.

Which meaning of RAG is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Rag (cloth) came first (ancient / pre-modern). Retrieval-augmented generation arrived in 2020. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Rag (cloth)Retrieval-augmented generation
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

Rag (cloth)

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12-mo pageviews—
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Peak month—
Duplicate · c. 2020

Retrieval-augmented generation

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More duplicated terms

AI & machine learning