shield vs shroud

shield

noun
  • A spot resembling, or having the form of a shield. 

  • A large expanse of exposed stable Precambrian rock. 

  • A wide and relatively low-profiled volcano, usually composed entirely of lava flows. 

  • Parts at the front and back of a vehicle which are meant to absorb the impact of a collision 

  • A broad piece of defensive armor, held in hand, formerly in general use in war, for the protection of the body. 

  • One who protects or defends. 

  • A sign or symbol, usually containing numbers and sometimes letters, identifying a highway route. 

  • A framework used to protect workmen in making an adit under ground, and capable of being pushed along as excavation progresses. 

  • The escutcheon or field on which are placed the bearings in coats of arms. 

  • A field of energy that protects or defends. 

  • In lichens, a hardened cup or disk surrounded by a rim and containing the fructification, or asci. 

  • A police badge. 

verb
  • To protect, to defend. 

  • to protect from the influence of 

  • To shelter; to protect oneself. 

shroud

noun
  • That which covers or shelters like a shroud. 

  • That which clothes, covers, conceals, or protects; a garment. 

  • One of the two annular plates at the periphery of a water wheel, which form the sides of the buckets; a shroud plate. 

  • The branching top of a tree; foliage. 

  • One of a set of ropes or cables (rigging) attaching a mast to the sides of a vessel or to another anchor point, serving to support the mast sideways; such rigging collectively. 

  • A covered place used as a retreat or shelter, as a cave or den; also, a vault or crypt. 

  • A streamlined protective covering used to protect the payload during a rocket-powered launch. 

  • Especially, the dress for the dead; a winding sheet. 

verb
  • To cover with a shroud. 

  • To take shelter or harbour. 

  • To conceal or hide from view, as if by a shroud. 

  • To lop the branches from (a tree). 

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