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Original · left

Shell (seashell)

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

Unix shell

First in use: c. 1971

Shell / Shell (seashell) / Unix shell

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

The beach vs. the command line.

Which meaning of Shell is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Shell (seashell) came first (ancient / pre-modern). Unix shell arrived in 1971. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Shell (seashell)Unix shell
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

Shell (seashell)

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Duplicate · c. 1971

Unix shell

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More duplicated terms

Programming & software