earmark vs set apart

earmark

verb
  • To specify or set aside for a particular purpose, to allocate. 

  • To mark (sheep or other animals) by slitting the ear. 

  • To designate part of a pension to be payable to the holder's former spouse or partner at its time of payment. 

noun
  • The designation of specific projects in appropriations of funding for general programs. 

  • A mark for identification; a distinguishing mark. 

  • A mark or deformation of the ear of an animal, intended to indicate ownership. 

set apart

verb
  • To select (something or someone) for a specific purpose. 

  • To distinguish, make obvious the distinction between (two things) or of (something). 

  • Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: to separate or isolate. 

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