punishment vs sanction

punishment

noun
  • The act or process of punishing, imposing and/or applying a sanction. 

  • A penalty to punish wrongdoing, especially for crime. 

  • Any harsh treatment or experience; rough handling. 

  • A suffering by pain or loss imposed as retribution 

sanction

noun
  • A penalty, punishment, or some coercive measure, intended to ensure compliance; especially one adopted by several nations, or by an international body. 

  • An approval, by an authority, generally one that makes something valid. 

  • A law, treaty, or contract, or a clause within a law, treaty, or contract, specifying any of the above. 

verb
  • To penalize (a state etc.) with sanctions. 

  • To ratify; to make valid. 

  • To give official authorization or approval to; to countenance. 

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