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Original · left

Breach (break or legal)

A gap in a wall, or a failure to observe a law or agreement.

First in use: the 1300s
Duplicate · right

Data breach

An incident where confidential data is accessed or leaked without authorization.

First in use: the 2000s

Breach / Breach (break or legal) / Data breach

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

Breached walls and contracts vs. leaked records.

Which meaning of Breach is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Breach (break or legal) came first (the 1300s). Data breach arrived in the 2000s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Breach (break or legal)Data breach
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

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The case for each meaning

Sourced definitions, usage stats and quotes

Original · the 1300s

Breach (break or legal)

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Duplicate · the 2000s

Data breach

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More duplicated terms

Cybersecurity