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Original · left

Registry (official log)

An official legal log, a maritime ship roll, or a department store wedding gift registry.

First in use: the 1500s
Duplicate · right

Windows Registry

A centralized, hierarchical system database used by the Windows operating system to store kernel, driver, and user settings.

First in use: c. 1992

Registry / Registry (official log) / Windows Registry

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

Wedding registries vs. regedit.

Which meaning of Registry is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Registry (official log) came first (the 1500s). Windows Registry arrived in 1992. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Registry (official log)Windows Registry
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 1500s

Registry (official log)

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Duplicate · c. 1992

Windows Registry

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More duplicated terms

Programming & software