scarify vs shear

scarify

verb
  • To make scratches or cuts on. 

  • To harrow the feelings. 

  • To remove thatch (build-up of organic matter on the soil) from a lawn, to dethatch. 

  • To break up, loosen, or roughen the surface of a field or road or a hard surface. 

  • To scratch, etch, burn, or cut designs into one's skin as a form of body modification. 

  • To damage the testa (seed coat) of a seed by cutting, scraping, chemicals, hot water, or fire to allow permeation of water and faster germination. 

shear

verb
  • To cut the hair of (a person). 

  • To deform because of forces pushing in opposite directions. 

  • To make a vertical cut in coal. 

  • To cut, originally with a sword or other bladed weapon, now usually with shears, or as if using shears. 

  • To transform by displacing every point in a direction parallel to some given line by a distance proportional to the point’s distance from the line. 

  • To remove the fleece from a sheep etc. by clipping. 

  • To deprive of property; to fleece. 

  • To reap, as grain. 

  • To change in direction or speed. 

noun
  • A large machine use for cutting sheet metal. 

  • The act of shearing, or something removed by shearing. 

  • Wind shear, or an instance thereof. 

  • A transformation that displaces every point in a direction parallel to some given line by a distance proportional to the point’s distance from the line. 

  • The response of a rock to deformation usually by compressive stress, resulting in particular textures. 

  • A cutting tool similar to scissors, but often larger. 

  • Forces that push in opposite directions. 

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