pruning vs shearing

pruning

noun
  • A removal of excess material from a tree or shrub. 

  • Something obtained by pruning, as a twig. 

  • A method of enumeration that allows the cutting out of parts of a decision tree. 

shearing

noun
  • The material cut off in this way. 

  • Deformation by forces acting in opposite directions. 

  • The process of making a vertical side cutting in working into a face of coal. 

  • The act or operation of reaping. 

  • The act or operation of clipping with shears or a shearing machine, as the wool from sheep, or the nap from cloth. 

  • The process of preparing shear steel; tilting. 

  • The act or operation of dividing with shears. 

adj
  • Tending to cut or tear. 

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