ban vs bless

ban

noun
  • A subdivision of currency, equal to one hundredth of a Moldovan leu. 

  • A unit measuring information or entropy based on base-ten logarithms, rather than the base-two logarithms that define the bit. 

  • A subdivision of currency, equal to one hundredth of a Romanian leu. 

  • The gathering of the (French) king's vassals for war; the whole body of vassals so assembled, or liable to be summoned; originally, the same as arrière-ban: in the 16th c., French usage created a distinction between ban and arrière-ban, for which see the latter word. 

  • Prohibition. 

  • A public proclamation or edict; a summons by public proclamation. Chiefly, in early use, a summons to arms. 

  • A title used in several states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century. 

  • A pecuniary mulct or penalty laid upon a delinquent for offending against a ban, such as a mulct paid to a bishop by one guilty of sacrilege or other crimes. 

verb
  • To prohibit; to interdict; to proscribe; to forbid or block from participation. 

  • To curse; to utter curses or maledictions. 

  • To curse; to execrate. 

  • To anathematize; to pronounce an ecclesiastical curse upon; to place under a ban. 

bless

verb
  • To make something holy by religious rite, sanctify. 

  • To make the sign of the cross upon, so as to sanctify. 

  • To esteem or account happy; to felicitate. 

  • To invoke divine favor upon. 

  • To honor as holy, glorify; to extol for excellence. 

  • To turn (a reference) into an object. 

intj
  • Used as an expression of endearment, gratitude, or (ironically) belittlement. 

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