mercury vs sterling

mercury

noun
  • A silvery-colored, toxic, metallic chemical element, liquid at room temperature, with atomic number 80 and symbol Hg. 

  • One of the elemental principles formerly thought to be present in all metals. 

  • Any plant of any species of the genus and the genus Mercurialis. 

  • The poison oak or poison ivy. 

  • An annual plant, annual mercury (Mercurialis annua), formerly grown for its medicinal properties; French mercury, herb mercury. 

  • Ambient pressure or temperature (from the use of mercury in barometers and thermometers). 

  • A similar edible plant (Blitum bonus-henricus), otherwise known as English mercury or allgood. 

sterling

noun
  • Sterling silver, or articles made from this material. 

  • The currency of the United Kingdom; especially the pound. 

  • A structure of pilings that protects the piers of a bridge; a starling. 

  • Former British gold or silver coinage of a standard fineness: for gold 0.91666 and for silver 0.925. 

adj
  • Of, or relating to British currency, or the former British coinage. 

  • Of, relating to, or made from sterling silver. 

  • Of acknowledged worth or influence; high quality; authoritative. 

  • Genuine; true; pure; of great value or excellence. 

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