contrivance vs means

contrivance

noun
  • A means, such as an elaborate plan or strategy, to accomplish a certain objective. 

  • Something overly artful or artificial. 

  • A (mechanical) device to perform a certain task. 

means

noun
  • An instrument or condition for attaining a purpose. 

  • Resources; riches. 

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