versioning
n.n. the practice of giving unique names or numbers to different stages of a document or software project. It helps you keep track of changes and go back to older work if needed.
n. the process of assigning unique identifiers to successive states of a single document, software component, or dataset. Facilitates change tracking and rollback capabilities in collaborative environments.
The team uses semantic versioning for their software.
Without proper versioning, the designers struggled to identify which file contained the client's most recent feedback.
Robust versioning is essential in distributed systems to ensure that all nodes are operating on compatible protocols and to prevent data corruption during rolling updates.
Derived from the noun version, which traces through Middle French to the Latin root versio, meaning a turning. The term is a gerund formation, applying the suffix -ing to the verb form of the noun.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Commonly used in technical and professional contexts, particularly in software development and document management.
Last updated July 22, 2026