scurf vs slough

scurf

noun
  • A skin disease. 

  • Minute membranous scales on the surface of some leaves, as in the goosefoot. 

  • A grey bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus). 

  • The foul remains of anything adherent. 

  • The flakes of skin that fall off as a result of a skin disease. 

  • Any crust-like formations on the skin, or in general. 

slough

noun
  • Dead skin on a sore or ulcer. 

  • A small pond, often alkaline, many but not all formed by glacial potholes. 

  • A muddy or marshy area. 

  • A type of swamp or shallow lake system, typically formed as or by the backwater of a larger waterway, similar to a bayou with trees. 

  • A state of depression. 

  • The skin shed by a snake or other reptile. 

  • A secondary channel of a river delta, usually flushed by the tide. 

verb
  • To shed (skin). 

  • To slide off (like a layer of skin). 

  • To discard. 

  • To commit truancy, be absent from school without permission. 

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