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Original · left

Bounty (reward)

A reward paid for capturing a criminal or killing an animal.

First in use: the 1700s
Duplicate · right

Bug bounty

A reward paid to researchers who report security vulnerabilities.

First in use: c. 1995

Bounty / Bounty (reward) / Bug bounty

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Wanted posters vs. HackerOne.

Which meaning of Bounty is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Bounty (reward) came first (the 1700s). Bug bounty arrived in 1995. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Bounty (reward)Bug bounty
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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 1700s

Bounty (reward)

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Duplicate · c. 1995

Bug bounty

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More duplicated terms

Cybersecurity