besom vs swab

besom

noun
  • A broom made from a bundle of twigs tied onto a shaft. 

  • Any cleansing or purifying agent. 

  • A troublesome woman. 

swab

noun
  • A mop, especially on a ship. 

  • A sailor; a swabby. 

  • A naval officer's epaulet. 

  • A small piece of soft, absorbent material, such as gauze, used to clean wounds, apply medicine, or take samples of body fluids. Often attached to a stick or wire to aid access. 

  • A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns. 

  • A sample taken with a swab (piece of absorbent material). 

verb
  • To use a swab on something, or clean something with a swab. 

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