contend vs mediate

contend

verb
  • To be in debate; to engage in discussion; to dispute; to argue. 

  • To be in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight. 

  • To believe (something is reasonable) and argue (for it); to advocate. 

  • To struggle or exert oneself to obtain or retain possession of, or to defend. 

  • contend with: To try to cope with a difficulty or problem. 

mediate

verb
  • To act as an intermediary causal or communicative agent; to convey. 

  • To divide into two equal parts. 

  • To intervene between conflicting parties in order to resolve differences or bring about a settlement. 

  • To resolve differences, or to bring about a settlement, between conflicting parties. 

  • To act as a spiritualistic medium. 

adj
  • Gained or effected by a medium or condition. 

  • Acting through a mediating agency, indirect. 

  • Intermediate between extremes. 

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