gnomon vs plan

gnomon

noun
  • A plane figure formed by removing a parallelogram from a corner of a larger parallelogram. 

  • An object such as a pillar or a rod that is used to tell time by the shadow it casts when the sun shines on it, especially the pointer on a sundial. 

  • An object such as a pillar used by an observer to calculate the meridian altitude of the sun (that is, the altitude of the sun when it reaches the observer's meridian), for the purpose of determining the observer's latitude. 

  • The index of the hour circle of a globe. 

  • A number representing the increment between two figurate numbers (“numbers equal to the numbers of dots in geometric figures formed of dots”). 

plan

noun
  • A two-dimensional drawing of a building as seen from above with obscuring or irrelevant details such as roof removed, or of a floor of a building, revealing the internal layout; as distinct from the elevation. 

  • A drawing showing technical details of a building, machine, etc., with unwanted details omitted, and often using symbols rather than detailed drawing to represent doors, valves, etc. 

  • A subscription to a service. 

  • A set of intended actions, usually mutually related, through which one expects to achieve a goal. 

  • A method; a way of procedure; a custom. 

verb
  • To create a plan for. 

  • To intend. 

  • To design (a building, machine, etc.). 

  • To make a plan. 

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