sprinkle vs stain

sprinkle

noun
  • A light covering with a sprinkled substance. 

  • An aspersorium or utensil for sprinkling. 

  • A light rain shower. 

  • A small hard piece of sugar and starch, or chocolate, used to decorate cakes etc. 

verb
  • To cover (an object) by sprinkling a substance on to it. 

  • To drip in fine drops, sometimes sporadically. 

  • To baptize by the application of a few drops, or a small quantity, of water; hence, to cleanse; to purify. 

  • To rain very lightly outside. 

  • To cause (a substance) to fall in fine drops (for a liquid substance) or small pieces (for a solid substance). 

stain

noun
  • A substance used to soak into a surface and colour it. 

  • A reagent or dye used to stain microscope specimens so as to make some structures visible. 

  • A discoloured spot or area. 

  • Any of a number of non-standard tinctures used in modern heraldry. 

  • A blemish on one's character or reputation. 

verb
  • To cause to seem inferior or soiled by comparison. 

  • To coat a surface with a stain 

  • To treat (a microscopic specimen) with a dye, especially one that dyes specific features 

  • To taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation 

  • To discolour. 

  • To become stained; to take a stain. 

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