a HackerNoon project
Original · left

Proxy (legal authority)

The legal authority granted to an agent to vote, negotiate, or speak on someone else's behalf.

First in use: the 1400s
Duplicate · right

Proxy server

An intermediary server terminating client requests and relaying them onward to disguise client addresses or filter traffic.

First in use: the 1990s

Proxy / Proxy (legal authority) / Proxy server

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

Proxy votes vs. proxy servers.

Which meaning of Proxy is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Proxy (legal authority) came first (the 1400s). Proxy server arrived in the 1990s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Proxy (legal authority)Proxy server
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 1400s

Proxy (legal authority)

Loading the Wikipedia definition…

12-mo pageviews—
Year over year—
Peak month—
Duplicate · the 1990s

Proxy server

Loading the Wikipedia definition…

12-mo pageviews—
Year over year—
Peak month—

More duplicated terms

Cloud & infrastructure