path vs trail

path

noun
  • A trail for the use of, or worn by, pedestrians. 

  • A slot available for allocation to a railway train over a given route in between other trains. 

  • Pathology. 

  • A method or direction of proceeding. 

  • A sequence of vertices from one vertex to another using the arcs (edges). A path does not visit the same vertex more than once (unless it is a closed path, where only the first and the last vertex are the same). 

  • A metaphorical course or route; progress. 

  • A continuous map f from the unit interval I=[0,1] to a topological space X. 

  • A course taken. 

  • A Pagan tradition, for example witchcraft, Wicca, druidism, Heathenry. 

  • A human-readable specification for a location within a hierarchical or tree-like structure, such as a file system or as part of a URL. 

verb
  • To navigate through a file system directory tree (to a desired file or folder). 

  • To make a path in, or on (something), or for (someone). 

trail

noun
  • A route for travel over land, especially a narrow, unpaved pathway for use by hikers, horseback riders, etc. 

  • A trailer broadcast on television for a forthcoming film or programme. 

  • The track or indication marking the route followed by something that has passed, such as the footprints of animal on land or the contrail of an airplane in the sky. 

  • A walk in which all the edges are distinct. 

  • A route or circuit generally. 

  • The horizontal distance from where the wheel touches the ground to where the steering axis intersects the ground. 

verb
  • To show a trailer of (a film, TV show etc.); to release or publish a preview of (a report etc.) in advance of the full publication. 

  • To run or climb like certain plants. 

  • To be losing, to be behind in a competition. 

  • To leave (a trail of). 

  • To carry (a firearm) with the breech near the ground and the upper part inclined forward, the piece being held by the right hand near the middle. 

  • To transport (livestock) by herding it along a trail. 

  • To hang or drag loosely behind; to move with a slow sweeping motion. 

  • To follow behind (someone or something); to tail (someone or something). 

  • To drag oneself lazily or reluctantly along. 

  • To travel by following or creating trails. 

  • To drag (something) behind on the ground. 

  • To create a trail in. 

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