astern vs facing

astern

adj
  • Behind a vessel; having a bearing of 180 degrees from ahead. 

adv
  • Behind (a vessel); in the rear. 

  • In the direction of the stern; backward (motion); to the rear. 

facing

adj
  • Diverging in the direction of travel. 

  • Positioned so as to face (in a particular direction) 

noun
  • Fabric applied to a garment edge on the underside. 

  • A powdered substance, such as charcoal or bituminous coal, applied to the face of a mould, or mixed with the sand that forms it, to give a fine smooth surface to the casting. 

  • The movement of soldiers by turning on their heels to the right, left, or about. 

  • The most external portion of exterior siding. 

  • The collar and cuffs of a military coat, commonly of a different colour from the rest of the coat. 

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