mallet vs mawle

mallet

noun
  • A type of hammer with a larger-than-usual head made of wood, rubber or similar non-iron material, used by woodworkers for driving a tool, such as a chisel. A kind of maul. 

  • A small hammer-like tool used for playing certain musical instruments. 

  • The stick used to strike the ball in the sport of polo. 

  • A weapon resembling the tool, but typically much larger. 

  • A light beetle with a long handle used in playing croquet. 

verb
  • To beat or strike with, or as if with, a mallet. 

mawle

noun
  • A heavy hammer or beetle, often made of wood or lead. 

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