abutment vs foundation

abutment

noun
  • Something that abuts, or on which something abuts. 

  • 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. 

  • The state of abutting. 

foundation

noun
  • That upon which anything is founded; that on which anything stands, and by which it is supported; the lowest and supporting layer of a superstructure; underbuilding. 

  • The result of the work to begin something; that which stabilizes and allows an enterprise or system to develop. 

  • The lowest and supporting part or member of a wall, including the base course and footing courses; in a frame house, the whole substructure of masonry. 

  • A donation or legacy appropriated to support a charitable institution, and constituting a permanent fund; endowment. 

  • A basis for social bodies or intellectual disciplines. 

  • The act of founding, fixing, establishing, or beginning to erect. 

  • That which is founded, or established by endowment; an endowed institution or charity. 

  • Cosmetic cream roughly skin-colored, designed to make the face appear uniform in color and texture. 

  • In solitaire or patience games, one of the piles of cards that the player attempts to build, usually holding all cards of a suit in ascending order. 

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