illustration vs stencil

illustration

noun
  • A picture designed to decorate a publication, or elucidate a literary work. 

  • A calculated prevision of insurance premiums and returns (life insurance) 

  • The state of being illustrated, or of being made clear and distinct. 

  • The act of illustrating; the act of making clear and distinct; 

  • Something which illustrates; a comparison or example intended to make clear or apprehensible, or to remove obscurity. 

stencil

noun
  • A two-ply master sheet for use with a mimeograph. 

  • A thin sheet, either perforated or using some other technique, with which a pattern may be produced upon a surface; a utensil that contains a perforated sheet. 

  • A pattern produced using such a utensil. 

verb
  • To print with a stencil. 

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