operative vs surgical

operative

adj
  • Based upon, or consisting of, a surgical operation or operations. 

  • Functional, in working order. 

  • Effectual or important. 

  • Having the power of acting; hence, exerting force, physical or moral; active in the production of effects. 

  • Producing the appropriate or designed effect; efficacious. 

noun
  • An employee or other worker with some particular function or skill. 

  • A spy, secret agent, or detective. 

  • A participant in an operation. 

surgical

adj
  • Of, relating to, used in, or resulting from surgery. 

  • Precise or very accurate. 

  • Excruciatingly or wearyingly drawn-out 

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