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Original · left

Aircraft control stick

A control stick in an aircraft cockpit that the pilot moves to steer.

First in use: the 1910s
Duplicate · right

Gaming joystick

An input device of a stick on a base, used to control video games and computers.

First in use: the 1970s

Joystick / Aircraft control stick / Gaming joystick

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

Pilots had it first.

Which meaning of Joystick is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Aircraft control stick came first (the 1910s). Gaming joystick arrived in the 1970s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Aircraft control stickGaming joystick
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 · the 1910s

Aircraft control stick

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Duplicate · the 1970s

Gaming joystick

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More duplicated terms

Gaming

Lag · Lag (video games)Respawn · Respawn (gaming)Boss · Boss (video games)Speedrun · SpeedrunEpic · Epic GamesValve · Valve (game company)Quake · Quake (video game)Fallout · Fallout (game series)Destiny · Destiny (video game)Overwatch · Overwatch (video game)Apex · Apex LegendsTwitch · Twitch (streaming)Rogue · RoguelikeGrind · Grinding (video games)Nerf · Nerf (game balance)Loot · Loot boxSkin · Skin (video games)Mod · Game mod