handrail vs rail

handrail

noun
  • A rail which can be held, such as on the side of a staircase, ramp or other walkway, and serving as a support or guard. 

  • A moving continuous belt-like rail on either side of an escalator which users can hold on to for support. 

rail

noun
  • A horizontal bar extending between supports and used for support or as a barrier; a railing. 

  • A large line (portion or serving of a powdery illegal drug). 

  • A railroad; a railway, as a means of transportation. 

  • A conductor maintained at a fixed electrical potential relative to ground, to which other circuit components are connected. 

  • Any of several birds in the family Rallidae. 

  • One of the lengthwise edges of a surfboard. 

  • A horizontal piece of wood that serves to separate sections of a door or window. 

  • The metal bar forming part of the track for a railroad. 

  • A vertical section on one side of a web page. 

verb
  • To enclose with rails or a railing. 

  • To range in a line. 

  • To place on a track. 

  • To sexually penetrate in a rough manner. 

  • To travel by railway. 

  • To complain violently (against, about). 

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