stain vs streak

stain

noun
  • A discoloured spot or area. 

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

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

  • A blemish on one's character or reputation. 

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

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. 

streak

noun
  • An irregular line left from smearing or motion. 

  • The color of the powder of a mineral. So called, because a simple field test for a mineral is to streak it against unglazed white porcelain. 

  • The act of streaking, or running naked through a public area. 

  • A strake. 

  • A continuous series of like events. 

  • A moth of the family Geometridae, Chesias legatella. 

  • A tendency or characteristic, but not a dominant or pervasive one. 

  • A rung or round of a ladder. 

verb
  • To have or obtain streaks. 

  • To create streaks. 

  • To run naked in public. (Contrast flash) 

  • To move very swiftly. 

  • To run quickly. 

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