lair vs retreat

lair

noun
  • A place inhabited by a criminal or criminals, a superhero or a supervillain; a refuge, retreat, haven or hideaway. 

  • A place inhabited by a wild animal, often a cave or a hole in the ground. 

  • A shed or shelter for domestic animals. 

  • A grave; a cemetery plot. 

  • A bog; a mire. 

  • A person who dresses in a showy but tasteless manner and behaves in a vulgar and conceited way; a show-off. 

  • A bed or resting place. 

verb
  • To mire. 

  • To become mired. 

  • To lay down. 

  • To bury. 

  • To rest; to dwell. 

retreat

noun
  • A peaceful, quiet place affording privacy or security. 

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

  • 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 lair and retreat occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )