start vs tend

start

verb
  • To put or raise (a question, an objection); to put forward (a subject for discussion). 

  • To begin. 

  • To flinch or draw back. 

  • To awaken suddenly. 

  • To disturb and cause to move suddenly; to startle; to alarm; to rouse; to cause to flee or fly. 

  • To break away, to come loose. 

  • To put into play. 

  • To move suddenly from its place or position; to displace or loosen; to dislocate. 

  • To pour out; to empty; to tap and begin drawing from. 

  • To set in motion. 

  • To have its origin (at), begin. 

  • To bring onto being or into view; to originate; to invent. 

  • To jerk suddenly in surprise. 

  • To start one's periods (menstruation). 

  • To begin an activity. 

  • To ready the operation of a vehicle or machine. 

noun
  • The beginning point of a race, a board game, etc. 

  • An appearance in a sports game, horserace, etc., from the beginning of the event. 

  • The curved or inclined front and bottom of a water wheel bucket. 

  • The arm, or level, of a gin, drawn around by a horse. 

  • An initial advantage over somebody else; a head start. 

  • A handle, especially that of a plough. 

  • A young plant germinated in a pot to be transplanted later. 

  • A projection or protrusion; that which pokes out. 

  • The beginning of an activity. 

  • An instance of starting. 

  • A sudden involuntary movement. 

tend

verb
  • To contribute to or toward some outcome. 

  • To be likely, or probable to do something, or to have a certain habit or leaning. 

  • To accompany as an assistant or protector; to care for the wants of; to look after; to watch; to guard. 

  • To kindle; ignite; set on fire; light; inflame; burn. 

  • To look after (e.g. an ill person.) 

  • To manage (an anchored vessel) when the tide turns, to prevent it from entangling the cable when swinging. 

  • To make a tender of; to offer or tender. 

  • To wait (upon), as attendants or servants; to serve; to attend. 

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