salute vs whisper

salute

verb
  • to wave, to acknowledge an acquaintance. 

  • To act in thanks, honor, or tribute; to thank or extend gratitude; to praise. 

  • To make a gesture in honor of (someone or something). 

  • To address, as with expressions of kind wishes and courtesy; to greet; to hail. 

  • To promote the welfare and safety of; to benefit; to gratify. 

noun
  • A discharge of cannon or similar arms, as a mark of honour or respect. 

  • An utterance or gesture expressing greeting or honor towards someone, now especially a formal, non-verbal gesture made with the arms or hands in any of various specific positions. 

  • A kiss, offered in salutation. 

  • A pyrotechnic device primarily designed to produce a loud bang. 

whisper

verb
  • To speak with suspicion or timorous caution; to converse in whispers, as in secret plotting. 

  • To speak softly, or under the breath, so as to be heard only by one near at hand; to utter words without sonant breath; to talk without that vibration in the larynx which gives sonorous, or vocal, sound. 

  • To make a low, sibilant sound. 

  • To mention privately and confidentially, or in a whisper. 

noun
  • A private message to an individual in a chat room. 

  • A low rustling sound, like that of the wind in leaves. 

  • A rumor. 

  • A faint trace or hint (of something). 

  • The act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially, without vibration of the vocal cords. 

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