flank vs hem

flank

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

  • 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. 

  • 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. 

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. 

hem

noun
  • A rim or margin of something. 

  • In sheet metal design, a rim or edge folded back on itself to create a smooth edge and to increase strength or rigidity. 

  • An utterance or sound of the voice like "hem", often indicative of hesitation or doubt, sometimes used to call attention. 

  • The border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together to finish the edge and prevent it from fraying. 

intj
  • Used to fill in the gap of a pause with a vocalized sound. 

verb
  • To shut in, enclose, confine; to surround something or someone in a confining way. 

  • To make the sound expressed by the word hem; to hesitate in speaking. 

  • To make a hem. 

  • To put hem on an article of clothing, to edge or put a border on something. 

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