a HackerNoon project
Original · left

Zombie (folklore)

An undead, reanimated, mindless corpse driven by supernatural reanimation or contagion in folklore.

First in use: the 1800s
Duplicate · right

Zombie (computing)

A compromised internet-connected computer silently co-opted by a malicious controller to participate in distributed botnet attacks.

First in use: the 2000s

Zombie / Zombie (folklore) / Zombie (computing)

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

The undead vs. botnets.

Which meaning of Zombie is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Zombie (folklore) came first (the 1800s). Zombie (computing) arrived in the 2000s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Zombie (folklore)Zombie (computing)
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 · the 1800s

Zombie (folklore)

Loading the Wikipedia definition…

12-mo pageviews—
Year over year—
Peak month—
Duplicate · the 2000s

Zombie (computing)

Loading the Wikipedia definition…

12-mo pageviews—
Year over year—
Peak month—

More duplicated terms

Cybersecurity