canal vs road

canal

noun
  • An artificial waterway or artificially improved river used for travel, shipping, or irrigation. 

  • A tubular channel within the body. 

  • One of the faint, hazy markings resembling straight lines on early telescopic images of the surface of Mars. 

verb
  • To dig an artificial waterway in or to (a place), especially for drainage 

  • To travel along a canal by boat 

road

noun
  • A partly sheltered area of water near a shore in which vessels may ride at anchor; a roadstead. 

  • A railway or (UK, rail transport) a single railway track. 

  • A path chosen in life or career. 

  • A way or route. 

  • A way used for travelling between places, originally one wide enough to allow foot passengers and horses to travel, now (US) usually one surfaced with asphalt or concrete and designed to accommodate many vehicles travelling in both directions. In the UK both senses are heard: a country road is the same as a country lane. 

  • Roads in general as a means of travel, especially by motor vehicle. 

  • An underground tunnel in a mine. 

adj
  • At the venue of the opposing team or competitor; on the road. 

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