faint vs pat

faint

noun
  • The act of fainting, syncope. 

  • The state of one who has fainted; a swoon. 

verb
  • To decay; to disappear; to vanish. 

  • To lose consciousness through a lack of oxygen or nutrients to the brain, usually as a result of suddenly reduced blood flow (may be caused by emotional trauma, loss of blood or various medical conditions). 

  • To lose courage or spirit; to become depressed or despondent. 

adj
  • Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to lose consciousness 

  • Performed, done, or acted, weakly; not exhibiting vigor, strength, or energy 

  • Slight; minimal. 

  • Barely perceptible; not bright, or loud, or sharp 

  • Lacking courage, spirit, or energy; cowardly; dejected 

pat

noun
  • The sound of a light slap or tap with a soft flat object, especially of a footstep 

  • A flattish lump of soft matter, especially butter or dung. 

  • A light tap or slap, especially with the hands 

verb
  • To stroke or fondle (an animal). 

  • To hit lightly and repeatedly with the flat of the hand to make smooth or flat 

  • To (gently) tap the flat of one's hand on a person or thing. 

  • To gently rain. 

adv
  • Opportunely, in a timely or suitable way. 

  • Perfectly. 

adj
  • Exactly suitable, fitting, apt; timely, convenient, opportune, ready for the occasion; especially of things spoken. 

  • Trite, being superficially complete, lacking originality. 

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