aid vs stead

aid

noun
  • A helper; an assistant. 

  • Help; assistance; succor, relief. 

  • An historical subsidy granted to the crown by Parliament for an extraordinary purpose, such as a war effort. 

  • An exchequer loan. 

  • Something which helps; a material source of help. 

  • A pecuniary tribute paid by a vassal to his feudal lord on special occasions. 

  • The rider's use of hands, legs, voice, etc. to control the horse. 

verb
  • To climb with the use of aids such as pitons. 

  • To provide support to; to further the progress of; to help; to assist. 

stead

noun
  • The position or function (of someone or something), as taken on by a successor. 

  • An emotional or circumstantial "place" having specified advantages, qualities etc. (now only in phrases). 

  • One's partner in a romantic relationship. 

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