course vs retreat

course

noun
  • The direction of movement of a vessel at any given moment. 

  • The path taken by a flow of water; a watercourse. 

  • Any ordered process or sequence of steps. 

  • The drive usually frequented by Europeans at an Indian station. 

  • A path that something or someone moves along. 

  • The lowest square sail in a fully rigged mast, often named according to the mast. 

  • The itinerary of a race. 

  • A programme, a chosen manner of proceeding. 

  • A row of bricks or blocks. 

  • One or more strings on some musical instruments (such as the guitar, lute or vihuela): if multiple, then closely spaced, tuned in unison or octaves and intended to played together. 

  • A learning programme, whether a single class or (UK) a major area of study. 

  • A normal or customary sequence. 

  • The succession of one to another in office or duty; order; turn. 

  • The intended passage of voyage, such as a boat, ship, airplane, spaceship, etc. 

  • In weft knitting, a single row of loops connecting the loops of the preceding and following rows. 

  • The trajectory of a ball, frisbee etc. 

  • A golf course. 

  • A treatment plan. 

  • A stage of a meal. 

  • A sequence of events. 

  • A racecourse. 

  • A row of material that forms the roofing, waterproofing or flashing system. 

verb
  • To cause to chase after or pursue game. 

  • To run through or over. 

  • To run or flow (especially of liquids and more particularly blood). 

  • To pursue by tracking or estimating the course taken by one's prey; to follow or chase after. 

retreat

noun
  • The act of reversing direction and receding from a forward position. 

  • A peaceful, quiet place affording privacy or security. 

  • A bugle call or drumbeat signaling the lowering of the flag at sunset, as on a military base. 

  • A military ceremony to lower the flag. 

  • The move of a piece from a threatened position. 

  • A period of retirement, seclusion, or solitude. 

  • A period of meditation, prayer or study. 

  • The act of pulling back or withdrawing, as from something dangerous, or unpleasant. 

  • A signal for a military withdrawal. 

  • Withdrawal by military force from a dangerous position or from enemy attack. 

verb
  • To slope back. 

  • To withdraw military forces 

  • To shrink back due to generally warmer temperatures. 

  • To withdraw from a position, go back. 

  • a retreating forehead 

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