mimic vs retrench

mimic

verb
  • To take on the appearance of another, for protection or camouflage. 

  • To imitate, especially in order to ridicule. 

adj
  • Imitative; characterized by resemblance to other forms; applied to crystals which by twinning resemble simple forms of a higher grade of symmetry. 

  • Pertaining to mimicry; imitative. 

  • Mock, pretended. 

noun
  • An imitation. 

  • A comic who does impressions. 

  • An entity that mimics another entity, such as a disease that resembles another disease in its signs and symptoms; see the great imitator. 

  • A mime. 

retrench

verb
  • To furnish with a retrenchment (a defensive work within a fortification). 

  • To dig or redig a trench where one already exists. 

  • To terminate the employment of a worker to reduce the size of a workforce; to make redundant. 

  • To abridge; to curtail. 

  • To cut down or reduce. 

  • To live less expensively; to economize. 

  • To confine; to limit; to restrict. 

  • To take up a new defensive position. 

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