stalk vs strut

stalk

verb
  • To walk haughtily. 

  • To (try to) follow or contact someone constantly, often resulting in harassment.ᵂᵖ 

  • To walk behind something, such as a screen, for the purpose of approaching game; to proceed under cover. 

  • To walk slowly and cautiously; to walk in a stealthy, noiseless manner. 

  • To approach slowly and quietly in order not to be discovered when getting closer. 

noun
  • The stem or main axis of a plant, which supports the seed-carrying parts. 

  • An iron bar with projections inserted in a core to strengthen it; a core arbor. 

  • The petiole, pedicel, or peduncle of a plant. 

  • One of the two upright pieces of a ladder. 

  • A stem or peduncle, as in certain barnacles and crinoids. 

  • A particular episode of trying to follow or contact someone. 

  • The narrow basal portion of the abdomen of a hymenopterous insect. 

  • The peduncle of the eyes of decapod crustaceans. 

  • The hunting of a wild animal by stealthy approach. 

  • An ornament in the Corinthian capital resembling the stalk of a plant, from which the volutes and helices spring. 

  • Something resembling the stalk of a plant, such as the stem of a quill. 

  • A haughty style of walking. 

strut

verb
  • To walk haughtily or proudly with one's head held high. 

  • Of a peacock or other fowl: to stand or walk stiffly, with the tail erect and spread out. 

  • To walk across or on (a stage or other place) haughtily or proudly. 

  • To brace or support (something) by a strut or struts; to hold (something) in place or strengthen by a diagonal, transverse, or upright support. 

  • To be attached diagonally or at a slant; also, to be bent at a sharp angle. 

noun
  • A beam or rod providing support. 

  • An act of strutting (“bracing or supporting (something) by a strut or struts (sense 1); attaching diagonally; bending at a sharp angle”); specifically, deviation (of the spoke of a wheel) from the normal position. 

  • An instrument for adjusting the pleats of a ruff. 

  • A step or walk done stiffly and with the head held high, often due to haughtiness or pride; affected dignity in walking. 

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