byword vs verb

byword

noun
  • A characteristic word or expression; a word or phrase associated with a person or group. 

  • A nickname or epithet. 

  • Someone or something that stands as an example (i.e. metonymically) for something else, by having some of that something's characteristic traits. 

  • A proverb or proverbial expression, common saying; a frequently used word or phrase. 

  • An object of notoriety or contempt, scorn or derision. 

verb

noun
  • A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. 

  • A named command that performs a specific operation on an object. 

  • An action as opposed to a trait or thing. 

verb
  • To perform any action that is normally expressed by a verb. 

  • To use any word that is or was not a verb (especially a noun) as if it were a verb. 

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