function vs operate

function

verb
  • To carry out a function; to be in action. 

  • To have a function. 

noun
  • What something does or is used for. 

  • The physiological activity of an organ or body part. 

  • A routine that receives zero or more arguments and may return a result. 

  • The role of a social practice in the continued existence of the group. 

  • An official or social occasion. 

  • A party. 

  • The characteristic behavior of a chemical compound. 

  • A relation in which each element of the domain is associated with exactly one element of the codomain. 

  • A professional or official position. 

  • A relation where one thing is dependent on another for its existence, value, or significance. 

  • Something which is dependent on or stems from another thing; a result or concomitant. 

operate

verb
  • To put into, or to continue in, operation or activity; to work. 

  • To deal in stocks or any commodity with a view to speculative profits. 

  • To perform some manual act upon a human body in a methodical manner, and usually with instruments, with a view to restore soundness or health, as in amputation, lithotomy, etc. 

  • To act or produce effect on the mind; to exert moral power or influence. 

  • To perform a work or labour; to exert power or strength, physical or mechanical; to act. 

  • To produce, as an effect; to cause. 

  • To produce an appropriate physical effect; to issue in the result designed by nature; especially (medicine) to take appropriate effect on the human system. 

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