cable vs stay

cable

noun
  • A strong rope or chain used to moor or anchor a ship. 

  • 100 fathoms, 600 imperial feet, approximately 185 m. 

  • An assembly of two or more wires, used for electrical power or data circuits; one or more and/or the whole may be insulated. 

  • An assembly of two or more cable-laid ropes. 

  • The currency pair British Pound against United States Dollar. 

  • A strong, large-diameter wire or rope, or something resembling such a rope. 

  • A telegram, notably when sent by (submarine) telegraph cable. 

  • A system for transmitting television or Internet services over a network of coaxial or fibreoptic cables. 

  • A unit of length equal to one tenth of a nautical mile. 

  • A textural pattern achieved by passing groups of stitches over one another. 

  • A moulding, shaft of a column, or any other member of convex, rounded section, made to resemble the spiral twist of a rope. 

verb
  • To communicate by cable 

  • To provide with cable(s) 

  • To ornament with cabling. 

  • To wrap wires to form a cable 

  • To fasten (as if) with cable(s) 

  • To create cable stitches. 

  • To send a telegram, news, etc., by cable 

stay

noun
  • A strong rope or wire supporting a mast, and leading from one masthead down to some other, or other part of the vessel. 

  • A guy, rope, or wire supporting or stabilizing a platform, such as a bridge, a pole, such as a tentpole, the mast of a derrick, or other structural element. 

  • Continuance or a period of time spent in a place; abode for an indefinite time. 

  • A piece of stiff material, such as plastic or whalebone, used to stiffen a piece of clothing. 

  • A corset. 

  • Restraint of passion; prudence; moderation; caution; steadiness; sobriety. 

  • A fixed state; fixedness; stability; permanence. 

  • The transverse piece in a chain-cable link. 

  • A prop; a support. 

  • A postponement, especially of an execution or other punishment. 

  • A station or fixed anchorage for vessels. 

verb
  • To live; reside 

  • To incline forward, aft, or to one side by means of stays. 

  • To put off; defer; postpone; delay; keep back. 

  • To brace or support with a stay or stays 

  • To remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide. 

  • To stop; detain; keep back; delay; hinder. 

  • To continue to have a particular quality. 

  • To change; tack; go about; be in stays, as a ship. 

  • To hold out, as in a race or contest; last or persevere to the end; to show staying power. 

  • To restrain; withhold; check; stop. 

  • To hold the attention of. 

  • To cause to cease; to put an end to. 

  • To prop; support; sustain; hold up; steady. 

  • To support from sinking; to sustain with strength; to satisfy in part or for the time. 

  • To tack; put on the other tack. 

adv
  • Steeply. 

adj
  • Steep; ascending. 

  • Difficult to negotiate; not easy to access; sheer. 

  • Stiff; upright; unbending; reserved; haughty; proud. 

  • (of a roof) Steeply pitched. 

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