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Original · left

Viral (infection)

First in use: the 1890s
Duplicate · right

Viral phenomenon

First in use: the 1990s

Viral / Viral (infection) / Viral phenomenon

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Colour keyGrey · original meaningGreen · duplicate meaningAmber · contested (40–60%)How colours work

Spreading disease vs. spreading content.

Which meaning of Viral is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Viral (infection) came first (the 1890s). Viral phenomenon arrived in the 1990s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Viral (infection)Viral phenomenon
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

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The case for each meaning

Sourced definitions, usage stats and quotes

Original · the 1890s

Viral (infection)

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Duplicate · the 1990s

Viral phenomenon

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More duplicated terms

Internet & gaming culture