cutting vs shearing

cutting

noun
  • The process of bringing metals to a desired shape by chipping away the unwanted material. 

  • A section removed from a larger whole. 

  • The editing of film or other recordings. 

  • An abridged selection of written work, often intended for performance. 

  • A leaf, stem, branch, or root removed from a plant and cultivated to grow a new plant. 

  • The action of the verb to cut. 

  • The act of cutting one's own skin as a symptom of a mental disorder; self-harm. 

  • A newspaper clipping. 

  • An open passage at a level lower than the surrounding terrain, dug for a canal, railway, or road to go through. 

adj
  • Of criticism, remarks, etc.: (potentially) hurtful. 

  • Of a beverage: half-sized. 

  • Piercing, sharp. 

  • That is used for cutting. 

shearing

noun
  • The material cut off in this way. 

  • Deformation by forces acting in opposite directions. 

  • The process of making a vertical side cutting in working into a face of coal. 

  • The act or operation of reaping. 

  • The act or operation of clipping with shears or a shearing machine, as the wool from sheep, or the nap from cloth. 

  • The process of preparing shear steel; tilting. 

  • The act or operation of dividing with shears. 

adj
  • Tending to cut or tear. 

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