cling vs persist

cling

verb
  • To be fond of, to feel strongly about and dependent on. 

  • To cause to adhere to, especially by twining round or embracing. 

  • To adhere to an object, without being affixed, in such a way as to follow its contours. Used especially of fabrics and films. 

  • To cause to dry up or wither. 

  • To dry up or wither. 

  • To hold very tightly, as to not fall off. 

  • To produce a high-pitched ringing sound, like a small bell. 

noun
  • Fruit (especially peach) whose flesh adheres strongly to the pit. 

  • adherence; attachment; devotion 

  • An ornament that clings to a window so as to be seen from outside. 

persist

verb
  • To go on stubbornly or resolutely. 

  • To repeat an utterance. 

  • To cause to persist; make permanent. 

  • To continue to exist. 

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