Words
Local Division 1
1
muffins
The muffins at the bake sale were delicious.
2
heifer
She is picking up the heifer tomorrow for her FFA project.
3
nemesis
In Greek mythology, Nemesis is the goddess of divine justice and
vengeance.
4
rattan
A part of the jointed stem of a rattan palm is used for furniture
and wickerwork.
5
allowance
I hope I get a raise in my allowance next year.
6
carton
We bought an extra carton of eggs at the store.
7
diesel
The boy was excited about riding in the diesel truck.
8
loyalty
A soldier's loyalty to his country is unwavering.
9
mature
The flowers will grow when the plants mature.
10
opportunity
Do not let the opportunity to go to college pass you by.
11
waist
The tailor measured my waist for the dress fitting.
12
bouillon
I made a bouillon using some herbs and the remains of the
roasted chicken.
13
aviator
The aviator lives close to the airport.
14
necktie
Fancy restaurants require patrons to wear a necktie.
15
boutique
Mary's first job was at the local boutique.
16
collision
Cautious drivers can avoid a collision by driving the speed limit.
17
alleges
The article in today's newspaper alleges that the mayor took
bribes while in office.
18
broach
Grandma wore a beautiful broach to the dinner party.
Words
Local Division 1
19
collect
To collect stamps from around the world is fun.
20
akin
Something akin to vertigo was troubling her.
21
optician
An optician studies light and vision.
22
chisel
She had to chisel the block of wood for a long time to get the
shape she wanted.
23
wheelchair
The movie theater has wheelchair access.
24
coerce
Bobby tried to coerce me to jump into the mud puddle.
25
elude
The kids weren't able to elude their parents at the fair.
26
surreal
The week I spent at Disneyland was surreal.
27
accessible
The door to the gym wasn't easily accessible.
28
bounce
We watched the ball bounce down the hallway.
29
lasagna
My mom makes the best lasagna in town.
30
parallel
I've heard that parallel parking gets easier with practice.
Local Division 1 Tie-Breakers #1
1
censured
The president of the company should be censured for breaking
the law.
2
enjoyable
I hope you'll find these books enjoyable.
3
camouflage
Soldiers wear camouflage to blend in with their surroundings.
4
seersucker
Auntie always wears seersucker pants to the beach.
5
boughless
The new tree we planted is boughless.
Local Division 1 Tie-Breakers #2
6
digitize
With a scanner, you can digitize pictures.
7
auxiliary
The hospital has an auxiliary generator in case the power goes
out.
8
polyester
Polyester is a wrinkle-resistant fabric.
9
dilemma
It was a dilemma to choose between a new bike or a new scooter.
10
psyched
The coach psyched the team before the game by telling them
they were outstanding athletes.
Words
Local Division 2
1
bosky
The bosky park was cool and quiet.
2
exultant
The villagers were exultant upon the return of the troops.
3
amaryllis
Some house plants, including amaryllis and lilies, are
poisonous to cats.
4
apoplectic
Nearly apoplectic with rage, he went after the thief.
5
predecessor
She has been a partner in this company and the firm that was
its predecessor since 1990.
6
sycamore
The sycamore is a tree in the maple family, closely
resembling the American plane tree.
7
xylophone
The Blue Eagle marching band has excellent xylophone
players!
8
awed
I was awed by the sight of the Grand Canyon.
9
boulevard
The boulevard traffic is a headache during rush hour.
10
cauliflower
Cauliflower with cheese sauce is yummy!
11
franchise
A new restaurant franchise opened down the street.
12
halogen
I always bring a halogen light when I go camping.
13
impractical
It would be impractical to buy a snowmobile in Hawaii.
14
inflexible
Sometimes stores are inflexible about returning items.
15
accommodations Our accommodations at the hotel were very nice.
16
assiduous
His English teachers regard him as possibly the most gifted
and assiduous student they have taught.
17
brilliancy
The brilliancy of the diamond was overwhelming.
18
cachet
Driving a Mercedes has a certain cachet.
Words
Local Division 2
19
herbaceous
In the walled garden herbaceous plants grew abundantly.
20
iguana
My friend has the cutest iguana as a pet.
21
melee
Hold my hand, or you might get lost in the melee of people
trying to get into the fair.
22
novitiate
Novitiate is the period during which a novice of a religious
order goes through training.
23
intermittent
It is nice to have intermittent windshield wipers when you
live in Oregon.
24
librarian
Many people know their local librarian well.
25
rhododendron
Oregon is known for its beautiful variety of rhododendron.
26
competition
The spelling competition is an exciting event!
27
porpoise
While on the cruise we have enjoyed many porpoise
sightings.
28
apparatus
Due to my sleep apnea I use a breathing apparatus at night.
29
arable
Did you see the arable land for sale down the road?
30
bastion
The Constitution is a bastion of justice.
Local Division 2 Tie-Breakers #1
1
precinct
The store is next to the police precinct.
2
austere
I have deep respect for the austere clergyman.
3
schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a severe and often incurable mental disorder.
4
gyration
Gyration is another term for rotation.
5
anonymously
Sometimes people call the police anonymously to report a crime.
Local Division 2 Tie-Breakers #2
6
indispensable A total of eight languages are available in this indispensable
travel companion.
7
neurologist
When I grow up I want to be a neurologist.
8
febrile
Most people are nervous about the increasingly febrile activity on
the Stock Exchange.
9
beleaguered
The new company was beleaguered with problems.
10
apathy
Apathy is the absence of desire or emotion.
Words
Local Division 3
1
brigadier
The Confederate Army commissioned only brigadier generals
in both the volunteer and regular services.
2
inveigle
I was able to inveigle an invitation to her party by
complimenting her on her new hairstyle.
3
isinglass
Isinglass is a substance obtained from the swim bladders of
Beluga sturgeon.
4
resilience
The earthquake destroyed thousands of people's lives, but I
was struck by the incredible resilience of the survivors I met.
5
solenoid
A solenoid is a current-carrying coil of wire that acts like a
magnet when a current passes through it.
6
abscess
An abscess can be painful and should be examined by a
doctor.
7
comparatively
A lagoon is a body of comparatively shallow water separated
from the deeper sea by a sandbank.
8
decaffeinated
A typical chocolate bar has about as much caffeine as a cup of
decaffeinated coffee.
9
equivalence
Advice on the equivalence of qualifications may be obtained
from the Academic Registrar.
10
memoir
A memoir is an account of the personal experiences of an
author.
11
abdomen
The human abdomen is the part of the body between the
pelvis and the thorax.
12
collateral
In lending agreements, collateral is a borrower's pledge of
property to secure repayment of a loan.
13
jaundice
Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a yellowish discoloration of
the skin.
14
meridian
A meridian, or line of longitude, is an imaginary arc on the
Earth's surface from the North Pole to the South Pole.
15
possession
My most valued possession is a picture of my grandmother.
16
apropos
Apropos our date for lunch, I can't go.
17
ascetic
Monks live an ascetic existence.
18
auspicious
The marriage did not get off to a very auspicious start.
Words
Local Division 3
19
beneficence
The teacher believes in the unfailing beneficence of high tech.
20
chenille
Chenille is the French word for caterpillar.
21
confidante
I passed your email address on to Mary Smith as she is my
most trusted confidante.
22
equanimity
The purpose of meditation is to clear one's mind and to
develop cognitive equanimity.
23
financier
Financier is a term for a person who handles large sums of
money.
24
homogeneous
Salt is a homogenous substance.
25
ligneous
26
logarithm
27
ocellus
Coryneum perniciosum, one of the two conidium-like side
forms of this fungus, occurs on all decayed, ligneous parts of
a Chestnut tree.
In probability theory, the law of the iterated logarithm is the
name given to several theorems which describe the magnitude
of a finite sum.
An ocellus is a small simple eye found in many invertebrates,
usually consisting of a few sensory cells and a single lens.
28
punctilious
My friend was a loyal, honest, and punctilious employee.
29
saboteur
A person who commits sabotage is referred to as a saboteur.
30
trepidation
Trepidation as used in the field of astronomy means an
imagined oscillation of the equinoxes.
Local Division 3 Tie-Breakers #1
1
kakkak
Perched birds often chatter in flight a metallic and somewhat
squeaky, "kakkak.”
2
bdellium
Bdellium is an aromatic gum like myrrh that is exuded from a
tree.
3
lachrymose
Ella became lachrymose when talking about her cat that had
recently died.
4
periphrasis
In linguistics, periphrasis is a device by which a grammatical
category or relationship is expressed by a free morpheme.
5
commensalism
A symbiotic relationship may be categorized as being
mutualistic, parasitic, or commensalism.
Local Division 3 Tie-Breakers #2
6
obsequies
The church is frequently the site of religious professions,
ordinations, and obsequies.
7
recalcitrant
Recalcitrant seeds are seeds that do not survive drying and
freezing.
8
pteridologist
One who studies ferns and other pteridophytes is called a
pteridologist.
9
catalyst
A catalyst is a substance that modifies and increases the rate
of a chemical reaction without being consumed in the process.
10
schnitzel
Wiener Schnitzel, meaning Viennese cutlet, is a traditional
Austrian dish and a popular part of Viennese and Austrian
cuisine.