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Original · left

Ghost (spirit)

The disembodied, terrifying apparition or wandering spirit of a deceased person.

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

Ghost (disk imaging and ghosting)

Sector-by-sector cloning of an entire storage disk into a unified image file, or suddenly severing online communication without an exit.

First in use: the 1990s

Ghost / Ghost (spirit) / Ghost (disk imaging and ghosting)

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

Apparitions vs. disk images and being ghosted.

Which meaning of Ghost is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Ghost (spirit) came first (ancient / pre-modern). Ghost (disk imaging and ghosting) arrived in the 1990s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Ghost (spirit)Ghost (disk imaging and ghosting)
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 · ancient / pre-modern

Ghost (spirit)

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Duplicate · the 1990s

Ghost (disk imaging and ghosting)

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More duplicated terms

Internet & gaming culture