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Original · left

Periscope

An optical tube with mirrors for seeing over or around obstacles, as on a submarine.

First in use: the 1850s
Duplicate · right

Periscope (live video)

A live-video streaming app owned by Twitter from 2015 until it shut down in 2021.

First in use: c. 2015

Periscope / Periscope / Periscope (live video)

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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

The submarine's eye became Twitter's live-streaming app, shut down in 2021.

Which meaning of Periscope is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Periscope came first (the 1850s). Periscope (live video) arrived in 2015. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

PeriscopePeriscope (live video)
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 1850s

Periscope

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12-mo pageviews—
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Peak month—
Duplicate · c. 2015

Periscope (live video)

Loading the Wikipedia definition…

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More duplicated terms

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