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Original · left

Hub (wheel)

The round central core of a wagon or bicycle wheel through which the axle passes and spokes radiate.

First in use: the 1600s
Duplicate · right

Ethernet hub

A legacy networking device that broadcasts every incoming packet out across all connected physical ports indiscriminately.

First in use: the 1980s

Hub / Hub (wheel) / Ethernet hub

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

Wagon wheels vs. network hubs.

Which meaning of Hub is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Hub (wheel) came first (the 1600s). Ethernet hub arrived in the 1980s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Hub (wheel)Ethernet hub
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 1600s

Hub (wheel)

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Duplicate · the 1980s

Ethernet hub

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More duplicated terms

Cloud & infrastructure