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Original · left

Slack (adjective)

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

Slack (software)

First in use: c. 2013

Slack / Slack (adjective) / Slack (software)

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

Loose rope vs. workplace chat.

Which meaning of Slack is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Slack (adjective) came first (ancient / pre-modern). Slack (software) arrived in 2013. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Slack (adjective)Slack (software)
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

Slack (adjective)

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Duplicate · c. 2013

Slack (software)

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More duplicated terms

Business & startups