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Original · left

Token (coin)

A physical coin substitute, keepsake, souvenir, or symbolic gesture.

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

Token (language model)

The discrete unit of text (a character, sub-word, or whole word) parsed, processed, and generated by large language models.

First in use: c. 2018

Token / Token (coin) / Token (language model)

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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

Subway fare vs. the unit LLMs are billed in.

Which meaning of Token is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Token (coin) came first (ancient / pre-modern). Token (language model) arrived in 2018. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Token (coin)Token (language model)
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

Token (coin)

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12-mo pageviews—
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Duplicate · c. 2018

Token (language model)

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More duplicated terms

AI & machine learning