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Original · left

Host (person)

A welcoming party organizer entertaining invited guests in their home or restaurant.

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

Host (network)

A network-connected computer hardware device or server providing services, data, or network interfaces to remote nodes.

First in use: the 1970s

Host / Host (person) / Host (network)

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Canonical todayMeasuring…
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Colour keyGrey · original meaningGreen · duplicate meaningAmber · contested (40–60%)How colours work

Dinner parties vs. hostnames.

Which meaning of Host is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Host (person) came first (ancient / pre-modern). Host (network) arrived in the 1970s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Host (person)Host (network)
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

Host (person)

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Duplicate · the 1970s

Host (network)

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More duplicated terms

Cloud & infrastructure