assert vs protest

assert

verb
  • To maintain or defend, as a cause or a claim, by words or measures; to vindicate a claim or title to 

  • He would often assert that there was life on other planets. 

  • To insist on the legitimacy of one's rights, opinion, etc; not to allow oneself to be dismissed; to ensure that one is taken into consideration; to make oneself respected; to be assertive. 

  • To use or exercise and thereby prove the existence of. 

  • To set a signal on a line using a voltage or electric current. 

  • To specify that a condition or expression is true at a certain point in the code. 

  • To declare with assurance or plainly and strongly; to state positively. 

noun
  • an assertion; a section of source code which tests whether an expected condition is true. 

protest

verb
  • To call as a witness in affirming or denying, or to prove an affirmation; to appeal to. 

  • to make a solemn written declaration, in due form, on behalf of the holder, against all parties liable for any loss or damage to be sustained by non-acceptance or non-payment of (a bill or note). This should be made by a notary public, whose seal it is the usual practice to affix. 

  • To affirm (something). 

  • To object to. 

  • To make a strong objection. 

noun
  • The noting by a notary public of an unpaid or unaccepted bill. 

  • A written declaration, usually by the master of a ship, stating the circumstances attending loss or damage of ship or cargo, etc. 

  • A formal objection, especially one by a group. 

  • A collective gesture of disapproval; a demonstration. 

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