abstain vs assimilate

abstain

verb
  • Deliberately refrain from casting one's vote at a meeting where one is present. 

  • Refrain from (something or doing something); keep from doing, especially an indulgence. 

assimilate

verb
  • To bring to a likeness or to conformity; to cause a resemblance between. 

  • To incorporate nutrients into the body, especially after digestion. 

  • To incorporate or absorb (knowledge) into the mind. 

  • To liken, compare to something similar. 

  • To become similar. 

  • To absorb (a person or people) into a community or culture. 

  • To be incorporated or absorbed into something. 

noun
  • Something that is or has been assimilated. 

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