fleet vs tender

fleet

noun
  • A group of vessels or vehicles. 

  • A number of vessels in company, especially war vessels; also, the collective naval force of a country, etc. 

  • Any command of vessels exceeding a squadron in size, or a rear admiral's command, composed of five sail-of-the-line, with any number of smaller vessels. 

  • An arm of the sea; a run of water, such as an inlet or a creek. 

  • A location, as on a navigable river, where barges are secured. 

  • A large, coordinated group of people. 

  • Any group of associated items. 

adj
  • Swift in motion; light and quick in going from place to place. 

  • Light; superficially thin; not penetrating deep, as soil. 

verb
  • To flee, to escape, to speed away. 

  • To pass over rapidly; to skim the surface of. 

  • To cause to slip down the barrel of a capstan or windlass, as a rope or chain. 

  • To hasten over; to cause to pass away lightly, or in mirth and joy. 

  • To move up a rope, so as to haul to more advantage; especially to draw apart the blocks of a tackle. 

  • To move or change in position. 

  • To take the cream from; to skim. 

  • To evanesce, disappear, die out. 

tender

noun
  • A smaller boat used for transportation between a large ship and the shore. 

  • Any offer or proposal made for acceptance. 

  • A formal offer to buy or sell something. 

  • A railroad car towed behind a steam engine to carry fuel and water. 

  • A naval ship that functions as a mobile base for other ships. 

  • A means of payment such as a check or cheque, cash or credit card. 

  • Anything which is offered, proffered, put forth or bid with the expectation of a response, answer, or reply. 

  • The inner flight muscle (pectoralis minor) of poultry. 

adv
  • tenderly 

adj
  • Easily bruised or injured; not firm or hard; delicate. 

  • Heeling over too easily when under sail; said of a vessel. 

  • Sensible to impression and pain; easily pained. 

  • Soft and easily chewed. 

  • Apt to give pain; causing grief or pain; delicate. 

  • Physically weak; not able to endure hardship. 

  • Sensitive or painful to the touch. 

  • Fond, loving, gentle, or sweet. 

  • Adapted to excite feeling or sympathy; expressive of the softer passions; pathetic. 

  • Young and inexperienced. 

verb
  • to offer a payment, as at sales or auctions. 

  • To offer, to give. 

  • To work on a tender. 

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