dear vs pet

dear

noun
  • A beloved person. 

  • An affectionate, familiar term of address, such as used between husband and wife. 

  • A very kind, loving person. 

  • An elderly person, especially a woman. 

adv
  • Dearly; at a high price. 

adj
  • A formal way to start (possibly after my) addressing somebody at the beginning of a letter, memo etc. 

  • Loving, affectionate, heartfelt 

  • Loved; lovable. 

  • Precious to or greatly valued by someone. 

  • An ironic way to start (often after my) addressing an inferior. 

  • Lovely; kind. 

  • A formal way to start (often after my) addressing somebody one likes or regards kindly. 

  • High in price; expensive. 

  • Severe, or severely affected; sore. 

pet

noun
  • Any person or animal especially cherished and indulged; a darling. 

  • Something kept as a companion, including inanimate objects. (pet rock, pet plant, etc.) 

  • One who is excessively loyal to a superior and receives preferential treatment. 

  • A fit of petulance, a sulk, arising from the impression that one has been offended or slighted. 

  • An animal kept as a companion. 

  • A term of endearment usually applied to women and children. 

adj
  • Favourite; cherished; the focus of one's (usually positive) attention. 

  • Kept or treated as a pet. 

verb
  • To stroke or fondle (another person) amorously. 

  • To stroke or fondle (an animal). 

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