dust vs ground

dust

verb
  • To spray or cover something with fine powder or liquid. 

  • To remove dust; to clean by removing dust. 

  • To leave; to rush off. 

  • To kill. 

  • Of a bird, to cover itself in sand or dry, dusty earth. 

  • To reduce to a fine powder; to levigate. 

  • To remove dust from. 

noun
  • The act of cleaning by dusting. 

  • Submicron particles in outer space, largely silicates and carbon compounds, that contribute greatly to extinction at visible wavelengths. 

  • The earthy remains of bodies once alive; the remains of the human body. 

  • A disturbance or uproar. 

  • A low or mean condition. 

  • Something worthless. 

  • Fine, dry particles of matter found in the air and covering the surface of objects, typically consisting of soil lifted up by the wind, pollen, hair, etc. 

  • The earth, as the resting place of the dead. 

  • A totally disconnected set of points with a fractal structure. 

ground

verb
  • To cover with a ground, as a copper plate for etching, or as paper or other materials with a uniform tint as a preparation for ornament. 

  • To connect (an electrical conductor or device) to a ground. 

  • To forbid (an aircraft or pilot) to fly. 

  • To found; to fix or set, as on a foundation, reason, or principle; to furnish a ground for; to fix firmly. 

  • To run aground; to strike the bottom and remain fixed. 

  • To place something on the ground. 

  • To hit a ground ball. Compare fly (verb (regular)) and line (verb). 

  • To improve or focus the mental or emotional state of. 

  • To punish, especially a child or teenager, by forcing them to stay at home and/or give up certain privileges. 

  • To give a basic education in a particular subject; to instruct in elements or first principles. 

noun
  • Basis, foundation, groundwork, legwork. 

  • Terrain. 

  • The pit of a theatre. 

  • A soccer stadium. 

  • Reason, (epistemic) justification, cause. 

  • The plain surface upon which the figures of an artistic composition are set. 

  • A flat surface upon which figures are raised in relief. 

  • An electrical conductor connected to the earth, or a large conductor whose electrical potential is taken as zero (such as a steel chassis). 

  • The area on which a battle is fought, particularly as referring to the area occupied by one side or the other. Often, according to the eventualities, "to give ground" or "to gain ground". 

  • The surface of the Earth, as opposed to the sky or water or underground. 

  • One of the pieces of wood, flush with the plastering, to which mouldings etc. are attached. 

  • The bottom of a body of water. 

  • Background, context, framework, surroundings. 

  • The net of small meshes upon which the embroidered pattern is applied. 

  • A composition in which the bass, consisting of a few bars of independent notes, is continually repeated to a varying melody. 

  • Advantage given or gained in any contest; e.g. in football, chess, debate or academic discourse. 

  • The area of grass on which a match is played (a cricket field); the entire arena in which it is played; the part of the field behind a batsman's popping crease where he can not be run out (hence to make one's ground). 

  • The tune on which descants are raised; the plain song. 

  • Soil, earth. 

  • A gummy substance spread over the surface of a metal to be etched, to prevent the acid from eating except where an opening is made by the needle. 

adj
  • Crushed, or reduced to small particles. 

  • Processed by grinding. 

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