pyramid vs shorten

pyramid

noun
  • A medullary pyramid, the medial-most bumps on the ventral side of the medulla oblongata 

  • A pyramid scheme. 

  • The triangular layout of cards in the game of Pyramid. 

  • An ancient massive construction with a square or rectangular base and four triangular sides meeting in an apex, such as those built as tombs in Egypt or as bases for temples in Mesoamerica. 

  • An approximately triangular headline consisting of several centered lines of text of increasing length. 

  • A solid with triangular lateral faces and a polygonal (often square or rectangular) base. 

  • A construction in the shape of a pyramid, usually with a square or rectangular base. 

verb
  • To employ, or take part in, a pyramid scheme. 

  • To combine (a series of genes) into a single genotype. 

  • To engage in pyramid trading. 

  • To build up or be arranged in the form of a pyramid. 

shorten

verb
  • To reduce or diminish in amount, quantity, or extent; to lessen. 

  • To take in the slack of (a rope). 

  • To reduce (sail) by taking it in. 

  • To become shorter. 

  • To make shorter; to abbreviate. 

  • To make short or friable, as pastry, with butter, lard, etc. 

  • To make deficient (as to); to deprive (of). 

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