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Original · left

Flash (light)

A sudden, instantaneous burst of blinding light from a camera strobe or electrical short.

First in use: the 1500s
Duplicate · right

Flash memory

A non-volatile solid-state memory storage medium capable of being electrically erased and reprogrammed.

First in use: c. 1980

Flash / Flash (light) / Flash memory

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

Camera strobes vs. NAND.

Which meaning of Flash is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Flash (light) came first (the 1500s). Flash memory arrived in 1980. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Flash (light)Flash memory
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 1500s

Flash (light)

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Duplicate · c. 1980

Flash memory

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More duplicated terms

Hardware & devices