Seattle Spelling Bee (March 2010)

This essay lists not only the 40 words which comprised the written test for the March 2010 Seattle Spelling Bee, but also gives the 25 or so words in the oral rounds. The "winning word" was "contrapposto," which, ironically, was misspelled on the page announcing the results...

The Written Test (40 Words)

Let's begin with the relatively easy words.

1. inglorious
2. grouse
3. acceleration
4. centrifuge
5. analgesic
6. subterranean
7. calisthenics
8. paramecium
9. castorette. This is rabbit fur sheared and dyed to simulate beaver fur. I guess I didn't know the definition of the word, but I, as well as many people, would have spelled it correctly.
10. footslog
11. lockstep.
12. cupful
13. bellyful
14. zooful (some might be tempted to double up on the "l's" here
15. yellowtop
16. cowgrass
17. clovery

More Difficult Words

18. astucity. As long as you know the word "astute," it should be easy to master this one. "Astucity" is the noun form of the word; it is rare today. More frequent would be "astuteness." Perhaps because neither word had been coined at the beginning of the 19th century, Jeremy Bentham used a Latin word for it in 1802: "Could this mass of law by any astutia be construed to come under the title Poor." But by the time of Carlyle, a generation later, both "austucity" and "astuteness" had been introduced, though only the latter seems to be of much use today...
19. damme. "Damme" is just short for "damn me" and is pronounced as the latter.
20. yoicks. We don't use "yoicks" much, but it and the next word occupy the world of interjections. In this case "yoicks" is "a call used in fox-hunting to urge on the hounds; also an exclamation of excitement and exultation." Not exactly a word that should bulk large in anyone's vocabulary, but it is "there."
21. och. "Och" is chiefly Irish and British English, signifying either sorry, regreat or exasperation. It differs from the German "ach," but there may not be that much difference.
22. begorra. While on oaths, it might be good to get this Irish one out of the way. It is short, or an alteration for, "by God."
23. thrump. "Thrump" is an onomatopoetic or "echoic" word. It represents the sound of a "blow, heavy fall or beat." Often it is reduplicated. From 1871: "The heavy thrump, thrump of the mitrailleuse" (another great word!).
24. axseed. "Axseed" is an obsolete word for an herb.
25. pika. For this and the next several words, we are in the realm of plants and animals. A "pika" is a small rabbit-like mammal of the genus "Ochotona," characterized by short, rounded ears, reddish-brown or grey fur, and a small tail. Here is a picture of the small rock rabbit, the pika.
26. The order in which the pika finds itself is the "Lagomorpha." Hence, a "lagomorph" is simply that--an order of hares and rabbits. The Greek word "lagos" means "hare" and "morphe" is "form."
27. Then, while we are at it, let's look at "lapan." It doesn't appear in the OED, but is in the Unabridged and is the "meat of the castrated rabbit." Where do people get these words? And why is it in no dictionary but the Unabridged? "Lapin" is the fur of a rabbit. I can sure see confusion coming...
28. auriform. Something "auriform" is in the shape of an ear.
29. karpas. Accented on the second syllable, this word is signficant in the Jewish ritual of Passover. It is the vegetable, usually parsley, dipped in salt water and eaten. The salt water symbolizes the salty tears that the ancestors of the Jewish people shed in Egyptian bondage.

We now have a number of words coming from the plant world. One of the most frequently overlooked collections of excellent and hard-to-spell words is in the thousands of species, genus and family names in the plant and animal kingdoms (domains now). If we knew them all, we would be well on the way to near-perfect spelling!

30. dalea. There are about a dozen species of indigo bush; the genus name is "Dalea." The "Dalea versicolor," pictured here, is the common indigo bush.
31. cicer. "Cicer" is the genus name for the chickpea. The "Cicer arietinum" is also known as the garbanzo bean or the Indian bean, and is an edible legume of the Fabaceae family.
32. trollius. Be careful not to associate this with the name of the Shakespearean or Medieval lover. Rather, a "trollius" is a genus of herbs. Here is an article on the Globeflower, "Trollius x cultorum." Apparently the Hungarian name of the flower, where it grows as a native, is "torolya." Hence the genus name.
33. marsilea. A "marsilea" is an aquatic plant, known popularly as the "Bigfoot waterclover." Its Latin name is "Marsilea macropoda." Well, as the description here states, it can sometimes be inundated, but often rests in "bone dry" soil. At first I thought that the name was related somehow to the French National Anthem tune, but it is, in fact, derived from the name of a 17th century Italian botanist, Marsigli. Now you can see how a words, if you give them half a chance, open huge worlds of learning to you. We want to know all about Marsigli, or at least a little!
34. hilaria. Let's take a break for a moment with two "festival" terms. The "Hilaria" was a "festival in honor of Cybele, celebrated at the vernal equinox." It is derived from the Latin "hilaris," which means "hilarious.." Thus, one had a rollicking good time during this festival, I presume. A long article is here. There seems to be some debate whether the "Hilaria" was just the last day of the festival honoring Cybele, a day of rejoicing, or could be used to describe an entire cycle of days celebrating the death and resurrection of Attis. Other accounts of this festival talk about its public and private side--the latter including vows and prayers offered by a mother delighted at the birth of a child. Thus, the contours of this festival don't seem particularly clear, but, as with some of the plants listed above, it is a sort of gentle invitation to "learn more."
35. holi. In the final OED citation for "hilaria," we have this sentence, from the Encyclopedia Britannica: "April Fool's Day..resembles the Hilaria of ancient Rome (March 25) and the Huli festival of India." Well, is it "huli" or "holi"? The OED lists it as "Hoolee, Holi," though an alternative spelling is "huli." In any case, it is defined as "the great festival or carnival of the Hindus, held at the approach of the vernal equinox, in honor of Krishna and the Gopis or milkmaids." The Unabridged spells it "holi," and "holi" it should remain. Hm, I am just thinking...instead of getting out there and celebrating riotously at this time of year, like the celebrants in the "Hilaria" and "Huli," I am just sitting here at home writing about it. I think, therefore, that I will just list the last five words of the 40 word list, along with the "oral round" words, and get to my party, wherever that is!

The other five words were "autosite, astroite, rhodura, marshalman." I don't actually know what the 40th word was..Yes, I do, I just found it. Drum roll..."fistful." Sigh.

The Oral Round Words

Much could be said about many of these words, but here they are:

41. unbudgeable
42. xenial
43. tahini
44. disproportionate
45. dockwalloper
46. mercerize
47. kerchoo
48. sackbut
49. recumbent. A "recumbentibus," derived from "recumbent," is a "powerful blow, able to knock a person down." It makes you "recumbent").
50. pickwickian
51. femcee. I suppose it is a female emcee. Love those modern portmanteau words.
52. triannulate
53. inebriety
54. potamologist
55. torr
56. lekvar
57. monophthong
58. razee
59. draegerman
60. faqih
61. acaena
62. serinette
63. contrapposto. This is derived from the Italian "contrapporre," and refers, in the visual arts, to the arrangement of a figure so that the action of arms and shoulders contrasts as much as possible with that of hips and legs. Thus, it is a twisted figure. The most famous is Michaelangelo's David.

Lots of these invite lots of comment, but not now...

4275