Zawinski's law

proper noun

The wry observation that "Every program attempts to expand until it can read mail. Those programs which cannot so expand are replaced by ones which can."

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. computingThe wry observation that "Every program attempts to expand until it can read mail. Those programs which cannot so expand are replaced by ones which can."

Origin

Attributed to American computer programmer Jamie Zawinski.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Zawinski's law. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Zawinski's%20law

MLA

“Zawinski's law.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Zawinski's%20law. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Zawinski's law,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Zawinski's%20law.

Source: Zawinski's law on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.