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Original · left

Rover (wanderer)

A person who wanders from place to place.

First in use: the 1300s
Duplicate · right

Mars rover

A robotic vehicle exploring a planet's surface.

First in use: c. 1997

Rover / Rover (wanderer) / Mars rover

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

Wanderers vs. Curiosity.

Which meaning of Rover is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Rover (wanderer) came first (the 1300s). Mars rover arrived in 1997. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Rover (wanderer)Mars rover
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 1300s

Rover (wanderer)

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Duplicate · c. 1997

Mars rover

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More duplicated terms

Science & space