lower vs superior

lower

adj
  • bottom; more towards the bottom than the middle of an object 

  • Situated on lower ground, nearer a coast, or more southerly. 

  • older 

verb
  • To decrease in value, amount, etc. 

  • To reduce operations to single machine instructions, as part of compilation of a program. 

  • To reduce the degree, intensity, strength, etc., of 

  • To bring down; to humble 

  • (lower oneself) To humble oneself; to do something one considers to be beneath one's dignity. 

  • To let descend by its own weight, as something suspended; to let down 

  • To reduce the height of 

  • To depress as to direction 

  • to pull down 

  • To reduce (something) in value, amount, etc. 

  • To make less elevated 

  • To fall; to sink; to grow less; to diminish; to decrease 

superior

adj
  • Located above or out; higher in position. 

  • Greater in size or power. 

  • Courageously or serenely indifferent (as to something painful or disheartening). 

  • Higher in rank, status, or quality. 

  • (of a calyx) Above the ovary; said of parts of the flower which, although normally below the ovary, adhere to it, and so appear to originate from its upper part. 

  • Located above or higher, a direction that in humans corresponds to cephalad. 

  • Of high standard or quality. 

  • Affecting or assuming an air of superiority. 

  • (of an ovary) Above and free from the other floral organs. 

  • Printed in superscript. 

  • (of the radicle) Pointing toward the apex of the fruit. 

  • Belonging to the part of an axillary flower which is toward the main stem. 

  • More comprehensive. 

  • (of a planet) Closer to the Earth than to the Sun. 

  • Beyond the power or influence of; too great or firm to be subdued or affected by. 

  • Greater or better than average. 

noun
  • The senior person in a monastic community. 

  • One who has made an original grant of heritable property to a tenant or vassal, on condition of a certain annual payment (feu duty) or of the performance of certain services. 

  • A superior letter, figure, or symbol. 

  • The head of certain religious institutions and colleges. 

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