better vs nether

better

adj
  • Greater in amount or quantity 

adv
  • Greater or lesser (whichever is seen as more advantageous), in reference to value, distance, time, etc. 

  • Had better. 

noun
  • An entity, usually animate, deemed superior to another; one who has a claim to precedence; a superior. 

verb
  • To surpass in excellence; to exceed; to excel. 

  • To give advantage to; to support; to advance the interest of. 

  • Had better. 

  • To improve. 

  • To become better; to improve. 

nether

noun
  • Oppression; stress; a withering or stunting influence. 

  • A trouble; a fault or dislocation in a seam of coal. 

verb
  • To shrink or huddle, as with cold; be shivery; tremble. 

  • To depreciate; disparage; undervalue. 

  • To constrict; straiten; confine; restrict; suppress; lay low; keep under; press in upon; vex; harass; oppress. 

  • To bring or thrust down; bring or make low; lower; abase; humble. 

  • To pinch or stunt with cold or hunger; check in growth; shrivel; straiten. 

adj
  • Lower; under. 

  • Lying beneath, or conceived as lying beneath, the Earth’s surface. 

adv
  • Down; downward. 

  • Low; low down. 

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