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Original · left

Ammunition cartridge

A pre-assembled round of firearm ammunition with bullet, powder and primer in one case.

First in use: the 1800s
Duplicate · right

Game cartridge

A plug-in case holding a game's read-only memory, used by consoles from Atari to the Nintendo Switch.

First in use: c. 1976

Cartridge / Ammunition cartridge / Game cartridge

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

Plug-in games borrowed the word from ammunition.

Which meaning of Cartridge is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Ammunition cartridge came first (the 1800s). Game cartridge arrived in 1976. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Ammunition cartridgeGame cartridge
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 · the 1800s

Ammunition cartridge

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Duplicate · c. 1976

Game cartridge

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