abutment vs cutwater

abutment

noun
  • A construction that supports the ends of a bridge; a structure that anchors the cables on a suspension bridge. 

  • The part of a valley or canyon wall against which a dam is constructed. 

  • A fixed point or surface where resistance is obtained. 

  • The point of junction between two things, in particular a support, that abuts. 

  • That element that shares a common boundary or surface with its neighbor. 

  • The solid portion of a structure that supports the lateral pressure of an arch or vault. 

  • The tooth that supports a denture or bridge. 

  • Something that abuts, or on which something abuts. 

  • The state of abutting. 

cutwater

noun
  • The wedge of a bridge pier, that resists the flow of water and ice. 

  • The forward curve of the stem of a ship. 

  • A black skimmer; a sea bird of the species Rynchops niger, that flies low over the sea, "cutting" the water surface with its lower mandible to catch small fish. 

How often have the words abutment and cutwater occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )