The Scripps National Spelling Bee is taking place in Washington, DC this week. Finals air on ABC this Friday night (8 EDT/7 CDT). This year's event features 273 spellers ranging in age from 8 to 15. The youngest speller, Vanya Shivashankar, is sister to the 2009 champion, Kavya Shivashankar. You know what Spelling Bee week means—it's time to ramp up your vocabulary!
1. goad \GOHD\, verb:
To prick or drive with, or as if with, a goad; prod; incite. To goad into action.
2. oleaginous \oh-lee-AJ-uh-nuhs\, adjective:
a. Having the nature or qualities of oil.
b. Unctuous; fawning; smarmy.
She pulled away from the oleaginous politician.
3. omnific \om-NIF-ik\, adjective:
Creating all things; having unlimited powers of creation.
(Omnific also occurs as omnificent and ominificence, a noun.) An author is omnific, the master of his (or her) universe.
4. scarper \SKAHR-puhr\, verb intr.
To flee, especially without paying one's bills. To scarper off.
5. cerebrate \SER-uh-brayt\ verb tr., intr.
To use the mind: to think, reason.
6. vellicate \VEL-i-kayt\ verb tr., intr.
a. To twitch or to cause to twitch.
b. To pluck, nip, irritate, etc.
7. malapert \MAL-uh-purt\, adjective:
Unbecomingly bold or saucy.
Had it not been for the account of some malapert agent...
noun:
A malapert person.
8. suspire \suh-SPAHY-uhr\, verb:
To utter with long, sighing breaths.
9. habitué \huh-BICH-oo-ey\, noun:
One who frequents a particular place, especially a place offering a specific pleasurable activity.
10. susurration \sus ə rā'shən\, noun
A soft, whispering or rustling sound; a murmur. The susurration of leaves.
11. costive \kaw-stiv\, adjective
a. suffering from constipation; constipated.
b. slow in action or in expressing ideas, opinions, etc. (This was the sense used in the book in which I encountered this word)
c. Obsolete. stingy; tight-fisted.
12. qui vive \kee-VEEV\ noun
alert, lookout. Newspaper copy editors must always be on the qui vive for factual as well as grammatical errors.
13. poniard [pon-yerd], noun
1. a small, slender dagger.
–verb (used with object)
2. to stab with a poniard.
LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)
Alice Audrey * Shelley Munro * Janice Seagraves
Adelle Laudan * Kimberly Menozzi * CountryDew
Jennifer McKenzie * Angelika Devlyn * Jana * Darla Sands
Elise Logan * PM Rousseau * Tatiana Caldwell
More Thursday Thirteen participants
1. goad \GOHD\, verb:
To prick or drive with, or as if with, a goad; prod; incite. To goad into action.
2. oleaginous \oh-lee-AJ-uh-nuhs\, adjective:
a. Having the nature or qualities of oil.
b. Unctuous; fawning; smarmy.
She pulled away from the oleaginous politician.
3. omnific \om-NIF-ik\, adjective:
Creating all things; having unlimited powers of creation.
(Omnific also occurs as omnificent and ominificence, a noun.) An author is omnific, the master of his (or her) universe.
4. scarper \SKAHR-puhr\, verb intr.
To flee, especially without paying one's bills. To scarper off.
5. cerebrate \SER-uh-brayt\ verb tr., intr.
To use the mind: to think, reason.
6. vellicate \VEL-i-kayt\ verb tr., intr.
a. To twitch or to cause to twitch.
b. To pluck, nip, irritate, etc.
7. malapert \MAL-uh-purt\, adjective:
Unbecomingly bold or saucy.
Had it not been for the account of some malapert agent...
noun:
A malapert person.
8. suspire \suh-SPAHY-uhr\, verb:
To utter with long, sighing breaths.
9. habitué \huh-BICH-oo-ey\, noun:
One who frequents a particular place, especially a place offering a specific pleasurable activity.
10. susurration \sus ə rā'shən\, noun
A soft, whispering or rustling sound; a murmur. The susurration of leaves.
11. costive \kaw-stiv\, adjective
a. suffering from constipation; constipated.
b. slow in action or in expressing ideas, opinions, etc. (This was the sense used in the book in which I encountered this word)
c. Obsolete. stingy; tight-fisted.
12. qui vive \kee-VEEV\ noun
alert, lookout. Newspaper copy editors must always be on the qui vive for factual as well as grammatical errors.
13. poniard [pon-yerd], noun
1. a small, slender dagger.
–verb (used with object)
2. to stab with a poniard.
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)
Alice Audrey * Shelley Munro * Janice Seagraves
Adelle Laudan * Kimberly Menozzi * CountryDew
Jennifer McKenzie * Angelika Devlyn * Jana * Darla Sands
Elise Logan * PM Rousseau * Tatiana Caldwell
More Thursday Thirteen participants
Ah, so that's how you spell #9. Not that I can find all those keys on my keyboard anyway.
ReplyDeletevellicate is a fun one. I'll have to find a place to use it.
I like scarper. That's a fun word.
ReplyDeleteI've snagged a couple of these 'new to me' words. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHappy T13!
I love this post. I want to hug this post. But it is not possible! Life is so unfair...
ReplyDeleteAlice: Ah, habitué is an easy word to spell/type. Or maybe it's just the French Goddess in me that loves that word. *g*
ReplyDeleteShelley: Isn't 'scarper' a fun one? And I actually encountered it in a mystery I read last month!
Adelle: Cool beans! *VBG*
Kimberly: I had a feeling that you of all people would like this post. So how many are you sharing with your students this year? *G*
Hi there! Some great words. I scarper all the time :)
ReplyDeleteHere's my T13 - Hope you can drop by. ;)
Angel
Wow, interesting words! Great list. I was reminded of the spelling bee when I was in school. Missed the word "haunted" when I was in the fourth or fifth grade and never have lived it down. . . .
ReplyDeleteAngel: LOL...Isn't that an awesome word?
ReplyDeleteAnita: Thank you. The word I remember missing in early spelling bees is 'blossom.' You can bet I remember how to spell it now!
This reminds me how I used to enjoy a word-a-day website. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMy brain hurts. BIG WORDS! BIG WORDS!
ReplyDeleteLOL
J/K
Thanks for the vocab lesson, Trixie. Been a long time since you made me cerebrate like that. I've missed it. I might have to become all malapert and goad you into doing it more often. ;-)
Darla: I love word-a-day sites. I actually sub to (ahem) three.
ReplyDeleteJana: Oh, please! Melodramatic much? Dontcha miss ye old vocab dungeon days? I will try to do a couple more such posts before the end of the year just for you! ;)
Fun list, I enjoyed trying to pronounce them. I only knew a couple, but scarper is a fun new one to me.
ReplyDeleteHappy TT.
Janice~
I love learning new words. There's a few on here that I'd like to add to my arsenal.
ReplyDeleteJanice: 'Scarper' seems to be the overall fave of the day, LOL!
ReplyDeleteTatiana: By all means, add away! *G*
poniard makes me think of Much Ado About Nothing. Benedick says of Beatrice "She speaks poniards, and every word stabs"
ReplyDeleteYou brought out my inner geek and memories of reading the dictionary as a child.
ReplyDeleteOh, I like #6. I think I should use that in a sex scene!
ReplyDeleteElise: OH, good one! Not familiar with that particular play, but I love the usage.
ReplyDeleteJia: Geek away! Reading the dictionary is one of the wonderful aspects you lose with electronic media. You go to look up one word, and your eye wanders so you find another cool word, and then another, and another....
Bratty: I could definitely see that working in a sex scene, LOL.
you have boggled my vocab a bit
ReplyDeleteMush 13
Divaa: LOL...need some Tylenol? *g*
ReplyDeleteAnything with an accent makes me squint at my keyboard.
ReplyDeleteYes, accents can be a little tricky. I guess I'm used to them, having studied French through college.
ReplyDelete