define vs flank

define

verb
  • To express the essential nature of something. 

  • To describe, explain, or make definite and clear; used to request the listener or other person to elaborate or explain more clearly his or her intended meaning of a word or expression. 

  • To establish the referent of a term or notation. 

  • To determine with precision; to mark out with distinctness; to ascertain or exhibit clearly. 

  • To demark sharply the outlines or limits of an area or concept. 

  • To state the meaning of a word, phrase, sign, or symbol. 

noun
  • A kind of macro in source code that replaces one text string with another wherever it occurs. 

flank

verb
  • To be placed to the side(s) of something (usually in terms of two objects, one on each side). 

  • To defend the flank(s) of. 

  • To attack the flank(s) of. 

  • To place to the side(s) of. 

adj
  • Maximum. Historically faster than full speed (the most a vessel can sustain without excessive engine wear or risk of damage), now frequently used interchangeably. Typically used in an emergency or during an attack. 

noun
  • The flesh between the last rib and the hip; the side. 

  • The sides of a bastion perpendicular to the wall from which the bastion projects. 

  • The outermost strip of a road. 

  • The wing, one side of the pitch. 

  • That part of the acting surface of a gear wheel tooth that lies within the pitch line. 

  • A cut of meat from the flank of an animal. 

  • The side of something, in general senses. 

  • The extreme left or right edge of a military formation, army etc. 

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