stepper vs treadmill

stepper

noun
  • A type of exercise machine. 

  • A device used in the manufacture of microcircuits to apply a photolithographic image repeatedly, at regular intervals (by imaging, moving a step and repeating). 

  • A person or animal that steps, especially energetically or high. 

  • A dancer. 

  • Anything that moves or advances in steps. 

  • A kind of electric motor (a stepper motor) that advances in steps rather than smoothly. 

  • A shoe, especially a fashionable or attractive shoe, or one used for step-dancing. 

  • A dancer in a step show. 

treadmill

noun
  • A piece of indoor sporting equipment used to allow for the motions of running or walking while staying in one place. 

  • A mill worked by horses, dogs, etc., treading an endless belt. 

  • A mill worked by persons treading upon steps on the periphery of a wide wheel having a horizontal axis. It was used principally as a means of prison discipline. 

  • A process or situation in which continued effort leads to or is required for remaining at a particular state or level without moving ahead. 

verb
  • To exercise on a treadmill. 

  • To keep busy, for example with work or with other tasks, without being able to get ahead or make progress towards long-term goals. 

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