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Original · left

Tap (faucet)

A valve that controls the flow of water or another liquid from a pipe.

First in use: ancient / pre-modern
Duplicate · right

Tap to pay

Paying by holding a card or phone near a reader, using NFC instead of inserting or swiping.

First in use: c. 2007

Tap / Tap (faucet) / Tap to pay

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

A touch of the card replaced the swipe.

Which meaning of Tap is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Tap (faucet) came first (ancient / pre-modern). Tap to pay arrived in 2007. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Tap (faucet)Tap to pay
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 · ancient / pre-modern

Tap (faucet)

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Duplicate · c. 2007

Tap to pay

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Money & fintech

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