pledge vs stake

pledge

verb
  • To deposit something as a security; to pawn. 

  • To make a solemn promise (to do something). 

  • To give assurance of friendship by the act of drinking; to drink to one's health. 

noun
  • A solemn promise to do something. 

  • The personal property so pledged, to be kept until the debt is paid. 

  • A bailment of personal property to secure payment of a debt without transfer of title. 

  • A person who has taken a pledge of allegiance to a college fraternity, but is not yet formally approved. 

  • A drinking toast. 

  • An asset or person temporarily handed over to guarantee the fulfilment of something promised, under threat of permanent loss of the thing handed over; surety, security, hostage. 

  • A promise to abstain from drinking alcohol. 

stake

verb
  • To deposit and risk a considerable amount of cryptocurrency in order to participate in the proof of stake process of verification. 

  • To pierce or wound with a stake. 

  • To put at risk upon success in competition, or upon a future contingency. 

  • To fasten, support, defend, or delineate with stakes. 

  • To provide another with money in order to engage in an activity as betting or a business venture. 

noun
  • The piece of timber to which a person condemned to death was affixed to be burned. 

  • A share or interest in a business or a given situation. 

  • That which is laid down as a wager; that which is staked or hazarded; a pledge. 

  • A small anvil usually furnished with a tang to enter a hole in a bench top, as used by tinsmiths, blacksmiths, etc., for light work, punching hole in or cutting a work piece, or for specific forming techniques etc. 

  • A territorial division comprising all the Mormons (typically several thousand) in a geographical area. 

  • A piece of wood driven in the ground, placed in the middle of the court, that is used as the finishing point after scoring 12 hoops in croquet. 

  • A piece of wood or other material, usually long and slender, pointed at one end so as to be easily driven into the ground as a marker or a support or stay. 

  • A stick inserted upright in a lop, eye, or mortise, at the side or end of a cart, flat car, flatbed trailer, or the like, to prevent goods from falling off. 

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