dorsal vs purl

dorsal

noun
  • A sound produced using the dorsum of the tongue. 

  • A hanging, usually of rich stuff, at the back of a throne, altar, etc. 

  • Any of the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, excluding the ventral scales. 

adj
  • Relating to the surface naturally inferior, as of a leaf. 

  • Relating to the surface naturally superior, as of a creeping hepatic moss. 

  • Having only one sharp side. 

  • Relating to the top surface of the foot or hand. 

  • Produced using the dorsum of the tongue. 

purl

noun
  • A gentle murmuring sound, such as that produced by the running of a liquid among obstructions. 

  • A tern. 

  • a heavy or headlong fall; an upset. 

  • A circle made by the motion of a fluid; an eddy; a ripple. 

  • A particular stitch in knitting; an inversion of stitches giving the work a ribbed or waved appearance. 

  • The edge of lace trimmed with loops. 

  • An embroidered and puckered border; a hem or fringe, often of gold or silver twist; also, a pleat or fold, as of a band. 

verb
  • To rise in circles, ripples, or undulations; to curl; to mantle. 

  • To use an inverted stitch producing ribbing etc. 

  • To flow with a murmuring sound in swirls and eddies. 

  • To decorate with fringe or embroidered edge 

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