piercing vs pricking

piercing

noun
  • An item of jewellery designed to be fitted through a piercing (sense 2). 

  • A hole made in the body so that jewellery can be worn through it. 

adj
  • Appearing to look deeply into; penetrating. 

  • Of sound, loud and sharp; shrill. 

  • Of temperature, extremely cold so that it penetrates through clothing and shelter. 

pricking

noun
  • The act of piercing or puncturing with a sharp point. 

  • The driving of a nail into a horse's foot so as to produce lameness. 

  • A sensation that pricks. 

  • A nicking. 

  • The mark or trace left by a hare's foot; a prick. 

  • The act of tracing a hare by its footmarks. 

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