bulwark vs plank

bulwark

noun
  • A defense or safeguard. 

  • A defensive wall or rampart. 

  • A breakwater. 

  • Any means of defence or security. 

  • The planking or plating along the sides of a nautical vessel above her gunwale that reduces the likelihood of seas washing over the gunwales and people being washed overboard. 

verb
  • To fortify something with a wall or rampart. 

  • To provide protection of defense for something. 

plank

noun
  • That which supports or upholds. 

  • Physical exercise in which one holds a pushup position for a measured length of time. 

  • A stupid person, idiot. 

  • A long, broad and thick piece of timber, as opposed to a board which is less thick. 

  • A political issue that is of concern to a faction or a party of the people and the political position that is taken on that issue. 

verb
  • To cover something with planking. 

  • To pose for a photograph while lying rigid, face down, arms at side, in an unusual place. 

  • To lay down, as on a plank or table; to stake or pay cash. 

  • To harden, as hat bodies, by felting. 

  • To bake (fish, etc.) on a piece of cedar lumber. 

  • To splice together the ends of slivers of wool, for subsequent drawing. 

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