bolster vs stirrup

bolster

noun
  • A pad, quilt, or anything used to hinder pressure, support part of the body, or make a bandage sit easy upon a wounded part; a compress. 

  • The metallic end of a pocketknife handle. 

  • A large cushion or pillow. 

  • A small spacer located on top of the axle of horse-drawn wagons that gives the front wheels enough clearance to turn. 

  • The perforated plate in a punching machine on which anything rests when being punched. 

  • A block of wood on the carriage of a siege gun, upon which the breech of the gun rests when arranged for transportation. 

  • A short, horizontal structural timber between a post and a beam for enlarging the bearing area of the post and/or reducing the span of the beam. 

  • The rolls forming the ends or sides of the Ionic capital. 

  • A beam in the middle of a railway truck, supporting the body of the car. 

  • The part of a knife blade that abuts upon the end of the handle. 

verb
  • To brace, reinforce, secure, or support. 

stirrup

noun
  • Any piece shaped like the stirrup of a saddle, used as a support, clamp, etc. 

  • A portable, flexible ladder-like device used in climbing. 

  • A rope secured to a yard, with a thimble in its lower end for supporting a footrope. 

  • A ring or hoop suspended by a rope or strap from the saddle, for a horseman's foot while mounting or riding. 

  • A stapes. 

adj
  • Referring to women's pants/trousers: being of a form, commonly worn by women, that includes a strap beneath the arch of the foot. 

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