drove vs flock

drove

noun
  • A large number of people on the move (literally or figuratively). 

  • A cattle drive or the herd being driven by it; thus, a number of cattle driven to market or new pastures. 

  • A narrow drain or channel used in the irrigation of land. 

  • A road or track along which cattle are habitually driven; a drove road. 

  • The grooved surface of stone finished by the drove chisel. 

  • A group of hares. 

  • A broad chisel used to bring stone to a nearly smooth surface. 

verb
  • To herd cattle; particularly over a long distance. 

  • To finish (stone) with a drove chisel. 

  • simple past tense of drive 

flock

noun
  • A large number of people. 

  • A large number of animals associated together in a group; commonly used of sheep, but (dated) also used for goats, farmed animals, and a wide variety of animals. 

  • Very fine sifted woollen refuse, especially that from shearing the nap of cloths, formerly used as a coating for wallpaper to give it a velvety or clothlike appearance; also, the dust of vegetable fibre used for a similar purpose. 

  • A number of birds together in a group, such as those gathered together for the purpose of migration. 

  • Those served by a particular pastor or shepherd.herd/flock 

  • Coarse tufts of wool or cotton used in bedding. 

  • A religious congregation. 

  • A lock of wool or hair. 

verb
  • To cover a Christmas tree with artificial snow. 

  • To coat a surface with dense fibers or particles; especially, to create a dense arrangement of fibers with a desired nap. 

  • To treat a pool with chemicals to remove suspended particles. 

  • To congregate in or head towards a place in large numbers. 

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