precaution vs prophylactic

precaution

noun
  • Previous caution or care; caution previously employed to prevent misfortune or to secure good 

  • A measure taken beforehand to ward off evil or secure good or success; a precautionary act. 

verb
  • To warn or caution beforehand. 

  • To take precaution against. 

prophylactic

noun
  • Any device or mechanism intended to prevent harmful consequences. 

  • A medicine which preserves or defends against disease; a preventive. 

  • A prophylactic condom. 

adj
  • Serving to prevent or protect against an undesired effect, especially disease or pregnancy 

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