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Original · left

Pilot (aviator)

A person who flies an aircraft or steers a ship.

First in use: the 1500s
Duplicate · right

Pilot (TV)

A test episode of a television series.

First in use: the 1950s

Pilot / Pilot (aviator) / Pilot (TV)

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

Aviators vs. first episodes.

Which meaning of Pilot is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Pilot (aviator) came first (the 1500s). Pilot (TV) arrived in the 1950s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Pilot (aviator)Pilot (TV)
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 · the 1500s

Pilot (aviator)

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Duplicate · the 1950s

Pilot (TV)

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More duplicated terms

Film, TV & media