rail vs runway

rail

noun
  • A horizontal piece of wood that serves to separate sections of a door or window. 

  • A horizontal bar extending between supports and used for support or as a barrier; a railing. 

  • A large line (portion or serving of a powdery illegal drug). 

  • A railroad; a railway, as a means of transportation. 

  • A conductor maintained at a fixed electrical potential relative to ground, to which other circuit components are connected. 

  • Any of several birds in the family Rallidae. 

  • One of the lengthwise edges of a surfboard. 

  • The metal bar forming part of the track for a railroad. 

  • A vertical section on one side of a web page. 

verb
  • To enclose with rails or a railing. 

  • To range in a line. 

  • To place on a track. 

  • To sexually penetrate in a rough manner. 

  • To travel by railway. 

  • To complain violently (against, about). 

runway

noun
  • A defined, narrow section of land or an artificial structure used for access. 

  • In javelin, long jump, and similar events: a short track along which athletes can accelerate themselves for their jumps or throws. 

  • A stream bed. 

  • Hence, the number of months that a startup company can operate by using up its cash reserves. 

  • The usual path taken by deer or other wild animals, such as from a forest to a water source. 

  • A narrow walkway (often on a platform) extending from a stage on which people walk, especially one used by models during fashion shows. 

  • A section of land, usually paved, for airplanes to land on or take off from. 

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