foot vs ground

foot

noun
  • The bottom edge of a sail. 

  • The part of a flat surface on which the feet customarily rest. 

  • The basic measure of rhythm in a poem. 

  • Travel by walking. 

  • The end of a rectangular table opposite the head. 

  • In a bryophyte, that portion of a sporophyte which remains embedded within and attached to the parent gametophyte plant. 

  • The part of a sewing machine which presses downward on the fabric, and may also serve to move it forward. 

  • A unit of measure equal to twelve inches or one third of a yard, equal to exactly 30.48 centimetres. 

  • The base of a piece of type, forming the sides of the groove. 

  • A short foot-like projection on the bottom of an object to support it. 

  • A biological structure found in many animals that is used for locomotion and that is frequently a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg. 

  • A unit of measure for organ pipes equal to the wavelength of two octaves above middle C, approximately 328 mm. 

  • The bottommost part of a typed or printed page. 

  • Specifically, a human foot, which is found below the ankle and is used for standing and walking. 

  • The base or bottom of anything. 

  • The parsing of syllables into prosodic constituents, which are used to determine the placement of stress in languages along with the notions of constituent heads. 

  • The globular lower domain of a protein. 

  • The muscular part of a bivalve mollusc or a gastropod by which it moves or holds its position on a surface. 

  • Fundamental principle; basis; plan. 

  • The point of intersection of one line with another that is perpendicular to it. 

  • Foot soldiers; infantry. 

  • Recognized condition; rank; footing. 

  • The end of a cigar which is lit, and usually cut before lighting. 

  • The end of a billiard or pool table behind the foot point where the balls are racked. 

verb
  • To sum up, as the numbers in a column; sometimes with up. 

  • To tread to measure of music; to dance; to trip; to skip. 

  • To walk. 

  • To renew the foot of (a stocking, etc.). 

  • To use the foot to kick (usually a ball). 

  • To pay (a bill). 

ground

noun
  • The bottom of a body of water. 

  • 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. 

  • 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. 

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. 

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