rot vs spoil

rot

verb
  • To (cause to) deteriorate in any way, as in morals; to corrupt. 

  • To expose, as flax, to a process of maceration, etc., for the purpose of separating the fiber; to ret. 

  • To spend a long period of time (in an unpleasant place). 

  • To suffer decomposition due to biological action, especially by fungi or bacteria. 

  • To decline in function or utility. 

  • To make putrid; to cause to be wholly or partially decomposed by natural processes. 

noun
  • Any of several diseases in which breakdown of tissue occurs. 

  • The process of becoming rotten; putrefaction. 

  • Verbal nonsense. 

  • Decaying matter. 

spoil

verb
  • To ruin the character of, by overindulgence; to coddle or pamper to excess. 

  • To reveal the ending or major events of (a story etc.); to ruin (a surprise) by exposing it ahead of time. 

  • To render (a ballot paper) invalid by deliberately defacing it. 

  • Of food, to become bad, sour or rancid; to decay. 

  • To ruin; to damage (something) in some way making it unfit for use. 

  • To reduce the lift generated by an airplane or wing by deflecting air upwards, usually with a spoiler. 

noun
  • Material (such as rock or earth) removed in the course of an excavation, or in mining or dredging. Tailings. Such material could be utilised somewhere else. 

  • Plunder taken from an enemy or victim. 

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