adherent vs votary

adherent

noun
  • A person who has membership in some group, association or religion. 

adj
  • Adhesive, sticking to something. 

  • Having the quality of clinging or sticking fast to something. 

  • Attaching or pressing against a different organ. 

votary

noun
  • A devotee of a particular religion or cult. 

  • A person, such as a monk or nun, who lives a religious life according to vows they have made. 

  • A devout or zealous worshipper. 

  • A loyal supporter or devoted admirer of a person or institution. 

  • Someone who is devoted to a particular pursuit etc. 

adj
  • Consecrated by a vow or promise; consequent on a vow; devoted; promised. 

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