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Original · left

Dr. Watson (Sherlock Holmes)

First in use: c. 1887
Duplicate · right

IBM Watson

First in use: c. 2011

Watson / Dr. Watson (Sherlock Holmes) / IBM Watson

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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

Sherlock's sidekick vs. Jeopardy champion.

Which meaning of Watson is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Dr. Watson (Sherlock Holmes) came first (c. 1887). IBM Watson arrived in 2011. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Dr. Watson (Sherlock Holmes)IBM Watson
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 · c. 1887

Dr. Watson (Sherlock Holmes)

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Duplicate · c. 2011

IBM Watson

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