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Original · left

Spear (weapon)

A long pole weapon with a pointed tip.

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

Spear phishing

A phishing attack tailored to one specific person or organization.

First in use: the 2000s

Spear / Spear (weapon) / Spear phishing

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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

Hunting spears vs. targeted phishing.

Which meaning of Spear is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Spear (weapon) came first (ancient / pre-modern). Spear phishing arrived in the 2000s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Spear (weapon)Spear phishing
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

Spear (weapon)

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Duplicate · the 2000s

Spear phishing

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More duplicated terms

Cybersecurity