swab vs wear

swab

noun
  • A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns. 

  • A sailor; a swabby. 

  • A naval officer's epaulet. 

  • A small piece of soft, absorbent material, such as gauze, used to clean wounds, apply medicine, or take samples of body fluids. Often attached to a stick or wire to aid access. 

  • A mop, especially on a ship. 

  • A sample taken with a swab (piece of absorbent material). 

verb
  • To use a swab on something, or clean something with a swab. 

wear

noun
  • damage to the appearance and/or strength of an item caused by use over time 

  • (in combination) clothing 

  • fashion 

verb
  • To eat away at, erode, diminish, or consume gradually; to cause a gradual deterioration in; to produce (some change) through attrition, exposure, or constant use. 

  • (in the phrase "wearing on (someone)") To cause annoyance, irritation, fatigue, or weariness near the point of an exhaustion of patience. 

  • To pass slowly, gradually or tediously. 

  • To have or carry on one's person habitually, consistently; or, to maintain in a particular fashion or manner. 

  • To ward off; prevent from approaching or entering; drive off; repel. 

  • To bring (a sailing vessel) onto the other tack by bringing the wind around the stern (as opposed to tacking when the wind is brought around the bow); to come round on another tack by turning away from the wind. Also written "ware". Past: weared, or wore/worn. 

  • To defend; protect. 

  • To bear or display in one's aspect or appearance. 

  • To carry or have equipped on or about one's body, as an item of clothing, equipment, decoration, etc. 

  • To overcome one's reluctance and endure a (previously specified) situation. 

  • To undergo gradual deterioration; become impaired; be reduced or consumed gradually due to any continued process, activity, or use. 

  • To exhaust, fatigue, expend, or weary. 

  • To last or remain durable under hard use or over time; to retain usefulness, value, or desirable qualities under any continued strain or long period of time; sometimes said of a person, regarding the quality of being easy or difficult to tolerate. 

  • To guard; watch; keep watch, especially from entry or invasion. 

  • To conduct or guide with care or caution, as into a fold or place of safety. 

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