pleat vs plicate

pleat

verb
  • To form one or more pleats in a piece of fabric or a garment. 

  • To plait. 

noun
  • A fold in the fabric of a garment, usually a skirt, as a part of the design of the garment, with the purpose of adding controlled fullness and freedom of movement, or taking up excess fabric. There are many types of pleats, differing in their construction and appearance. 

  • A fold in an organ, usually a longitudinal fold in a long leaf such as that of palmetto, lending it stiffness. 

  • A plait. 

plicate

verb
  • To fold or pleat (usually used in passive). 

adj
  • Folded multiple times lengthwise like a fan, usually lending stiffness to a flat structure such as a leaf; corrugated; pleated. 

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