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Original · left

Omicron (letter)

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

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant

First in use: c. 2021

Omicron / Omicron (letter) / SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant

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

The 15th Greek letter vs. the 2021 variant.

Which meaning of Omicron is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Omicron (letter) came first (ancient / pre-modern). SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant arrived in 2021. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Omicron (letter)SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant
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

Omicron (letter)

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Duplicate · c. 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant

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More duplicated terms

Science & space