exceptional vs stern

exceptional

noun
  • An exception, or something having an exceptional value 

adj
  • Corresponding to something of lower dimension under a birational correspondence. 

  • Forming an exception; not ordinary; uncommon; rare. 

  • Better than the average; superior due to exception or rarity. 

stern

noun
  • The hinder part of anything. 

  • A bird, the black tern. 

  • The tail of an animal; now used only of the tail of a dog. 

  • The post of management or direction. 

  • The rear part or after end of a ship or vessel. 

verb
  • To propel or move backward or stern-first in the water. 

adj
  • Grim and forbidding in appearance. 

  • Having a hardness and severity of nature or manner. 

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