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Original · left

Beacon (signal fire)

A tall signal fire lit on a hilltop or a coastal lighthouse beam guiding ships through fog.

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

Bluetooth beacon

A Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) hardware transmitter broadcasting periodic proximity signals to nearby mobile devices.

First in use: c. 2013

Beacon / Beacon (signal fire) / Bluetooth beacon

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

Hilltop fires vs. iBeacon.

Which meaning of Beacon is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Beacon (signal fire) came first (ancient / pre-modern). Bluetooth beacon arrived in 2013. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Beacon (signal fire)Bluetooth beacon
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

Beacon (signal fire)

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Duplicate · c. 2013

Bluetooth beacon

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More duplicated terms

Hardware & devices