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Original · left

Ribbon (fabric)

A strip of woven satin, velvet, or silk used for tying gifts or decorating clothing.

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

Ribbon (UI)

A broad, tabbed graphical command bar across the top of an application interface organizing related tool icons into groups.

First in use: c. 2007

Ribbon / Ribbon (fabric) / Ribbon (UI)

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

Gift ribbon vs. Microsoft Office's toolbar.

Which meaning of Ribbon is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Ribbon (fabric) came first (ancient / pre-modern). Ribbon (UI) arrived in 2007. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Ribbon (fabric)Ribbon (UI)
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

Ribbon (fabric)

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Duplicate · c. 2007

Ribbon (UI)

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More duplicated terms

Design & UX