apply vs operate

apply

verb
  • To put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case 

  • To pertain or be relevant to a specified individual or group. 

  • To make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relative 

  • To address; to refer; generally used reflexively. 

  • To lay or place; to put (one thing to another) 

  • To put closely; to join; to engage and employ diligently, or with attention 

  • To submit oneself as a candidate (with the adposition "to" designating the recipient of the submission, and the adposition "for" designating the position). 

operate

verb
  • To put into, or to continue in, operation or activity; to work. 

  • To deal in stocks or any commodity with a view to speculative profits. 

  • To perform some manual act upon a human body in a methodical manner, and usually with instruments, with a view to restore soundness or health, as in amputation, lithotomy, etc. 

  • To act or produce effect on the mind; to exert moral power or influence. 

  • To perform a work or labour; to exert power or strength, physical or mechanical; to act. 

  • To produce, as an effect; to cause. 

  • To produce an appropriate physical effect; to issue in the result designed by nature; especially (medicine) to take appropriate effect on the human system. 

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