2009 UIL Spelling Study Manual/A

Word List

For words with a * contestants must also know definitions.

1. aardwolf

The insectivorous mammal species Proteles cristatus, of South Africa, related to and resembling the hyena. [Afrikaans, from Dutch aarde (“‘earth, soil’”) + wolf (“‘wolf’”). Used in English since the 19th Century.]

2. ab initio*

(law) Refers to the time from when a legal document comes into force. [From Latin ab (“‘from’”) + initiō, ablative singular of initium (“‘beginning’”).]

3. abscise*

/əbˈsaɪz/ to cut off. [From Latin abscises, past participle of abscidere, formed from abs- + caedere "to cut".]

4. acanthoid

similar to a spine in shape

5. acarid

/ˈækərɪd/ Any parasitic arachnid, such as mites and ticks, of the order Acarina [from Ancient Greek 'akari', mite]

6. accessible

/əkˈsɛsəbˑl/ Easy to approach or obtain [From Latin 'accedo', approach]

7. accessory

/əkˈsɛsərɪ/ Having a secondary, supplementary or subordinate function by accompanying as a subordinate; aiding in a secondary way; being additional; being connected as an incident or subordinate to a principal; contributing or being contributory. Said of persons and things, and, when of persons, usually in a bad sense; as, he was accessory to the riot; accessory sounds in music.[From Latin accessorius]

8. accolade

/'ækəleɪd/ An expression of approval; praise. 2. (music) A brace used to join two or more staves. [from French accolare, to embrace]

9. accruement

the act of accruing (accrue - To increase, to augment; to come to by way of increase) [from French accrû, Old French acreü, past participle of accroître, Old French acroistre to increase; from Latin adcrēscō (“‘increase’”).]

10. acerbated

/ˈasəbeɪtɛd/ past tense of 'to acerbate' (acerbate - to exasperate, make bitter or sour)[From Latin acerbates, past participle of acerbare, from acerbus.]

11. Achilles tendon

a tendon of the posterior leg

12. acknowledgeable

/ækˈnɑl.ɪʤeɪbəl/ able to be acknowledged

13. acrimonious

Of words, arguments, quarrels: bitter; mean-spirited; sharp in language or tone

14. acromegaly

(pathology) A chronic disease marked by enlargement of the bones of the extremities, face, and jaw that is caused by over-activity of the pituitary gland.

15. ad hoc*

/ˌæd ˈhɒk/ for this particular purpose 2. created on the spur of the moment, impromptu [From New Latin ad hoc (“‘for this’”).]

16. ad interim*

at the interim, 'in the meantime'

17. adjacency

The quality of being adjacent, or near enough so as to touch.

18. adjuration*

a grave warning or earnest appeal [From Latin adiūrō (“‘beg earnestly’”), from ad- (“‘near, at; towards, to’”)' + iūrō (“‘swear by oath’”).]

19. adjustable

able to be adjusted (adjust - To modify.)[Ultimately from Latin ad (“‘to, up to, towards’”) + iustus (justus), “‘correct, proper, exact’”)]

20. adscititious

derived from something intrinsic, inherent. [From Latin adscitus, from past participle of adsciscere to admit]

21. adulterate

Corrupted; impure

22. advisory

adj. Able to give advice. N. advice, warning. [Example: The advisory committee could only offer advice, but since that was almost always accepted they had real power. ]

23. aeroallergen

Any airborne allergen (such as pollen)

24. Aesopian

Employing or having an ambiguous or allegorical meaning, especially a political meaning [From Latin Aesopius (“‘Aesopian’”), from Ancient Greek Αἴσωπος (Aisōpos), “‘the famous Greek fabulist Aesop’”]

25. affability

The state or quality of being affable, friendly or approachable.

26. affenpinscher*

a terrier-like toy breed of dog.

27. affiant

The individual witness whose statement is contained in an affidavit or sworn deposition. [Example: Further affiant sayeth naught. (A centuries-old statement that is still used on some legal documents as the final declaration prior to the affiant's signature.)] [From form of verb Old French afier, from Late Latin affidare. Related to affidavit.]

28. affirmation

A declaration that something is true; an oath. [From Latin affirmare, to assert.]

29. aggress

N. aggression; v. To set upon; to attack. [From Latin aggressum, past participle of aggredi (“‘to attack, assail, approach, go to’”) < ad (“‘to’”) + gradi (“‘to walk, go’”) < gradus (“‘step’”); see grade.]

30. agilely

with agility

31. agranulocytosis

An acute condition involving a severe and dangerous leukopenia, particularly of neutrophils, causing a neutropenia in the circulating blood.

32. agrology

A sub-discipline of soil science which addresses optimising crop production

33. aigrette, aigret

/ˈeɪgɹɪt/ A feather or plume, or feather-shaped item, used as an adornment or ornament [from French aigrette, 'egret']

34. Airedale

A district in the West Riding of Yorkshire surrounding the vale of the River Aire, OR an Airedale terrier, a breed of large dog

35. alcalde

/alˈkalde/ Mayor or other administrator [From Arabic القاضي (al-qāḍī) ‘judge’]

36. aldosterone

mineralocorticoid hormone, secreted by the adrenal cortex, that regulates the balance of sodium and potassium in the body

37. aleatory*

/ˈæɪlɪətɔri/ Depending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance [From Latin āleātōrius, from āleātor (“‘dice-player’”), from ālea (“‘a die’”)]

38. Aleutian*

Of, from, or pertaining to the Aleutian Islands (a group of islands in the northern Pacific Ocean, west of Alaska), or to its inhabitants, their culture, or their language

39. alexandrite

(mineralogy) A form of chrysoberyl that displays a colour change dependent upon light, along with strong pleochroism.

40. alienator

one who alienates (alienate - To estrange; to withdraw affections or attention; to make indifferent or averse, where love or friendship before subsisted; to wean; with from)

41. All Fools' Day

April Fools' Day.

42. alliterative

In the form or style of alliteration

43. aloe vera, Aloe vera

The resin of the trees Aquilaria agallocha and Aquilaria malaccensis, known for their fragrant odour

44. altiplano

a high plateau. [From American Spanish from Latin altus + planum - high plain]

45. alumnae

plural of alumna, a female graduate or student

46. alveolus

a small cavity or pit, (anatomy) a small air sac in the lungs, where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged with the blood.

47. amandine*

(cooking) Served with almonds

48. amanuensis

One employed to take dictation, or copy manuscripts; a clerk, secretary, scribe. [From Latin āmanuēnsis (“‘secretary’”), from ab + manus, "by hand".]

49. ambient

surrounding, enveloping [From Latin ambiens (“‘going around’”), from ambiō (“‘go around’”).]

50. amercement

A non-statutory monetary penalty or forfeiture

51. Americanism

A preference to the United States and the ideas it represents, OR A word, phrase or linguistic feature originating from or specific to American language usage. [Example:However, the -ize spelling is now rarely used in the UK in the mass media and newspapers, and is hence often incorrectly regarded as an Americanism.]

52. amniotic*

/æmniˈɑːtɪk/ Pertaining to the amnion (amnion - (anatomy) the innermost membrane of the fetal membranes of reptiles, birds, and mammals; the sac in which the embryo is suspended) [From Latin for "membrane around a fetus", from Greek "bowl in which the blood of victims was caught", from ame, (bucket)]

53. amoral

(of people) not believing in or caring for morality and immorality

54. ampicillin

(pharmacology) A broad-spectrum antibiotic having a beta-lactam structure

55. amplitude

The measure of something's size, especially in terms of width or breadth; largeness, magnitude;(physics) The maximum absolute value of some quantity that varies; (mathematics) The maximum absolute value of the vertical component of a curve or function, especially one that is periodic

56. ampullae*

a two-handled vessel with a swollen middle, sometimes used to hold holy oil or wine

57. anaglyph*

A decorative ornament worked in low relief; 2. The three-dimensional effect created by spectacles that have usually one red and one bluish-green lens and a stereoscopically modified film

58. analects

A collection of excerpts or quotes, u. those of Confucius

59. analphabetic*

not alphabetic

60. anecdote

A short account of an incident, often humorous

61. anechoic

lacking echos; that absorbs sound (Example: "The basoonist settled into the anechoic chamber and prepared for another grueling recording session.")

62. aneurysm, aneurism

/ˈæn.jɚ.ɪz.m̩/(pathology) An abnormal blood-filled swelling of an artery or vein, resulting from a localized weakness in the wall of the vessel [Ancient Greek ἀνεύρυσμα (aneurysma), “‘a widening, an opening’”) < ἀνά (ana), “‘up’”) + εὐρύς (eurys), “‘wide’”).]

63. angelology

The study of angels. Angels have been grouped into nine categories, from lowest to highest: angel, virtue, archangel, power, principality, minion, throne, cherub, and seraph

64. angiography

(medicine) A medical imaging technique in which an X-ray image is taken to visualize the inside of blood vessels and organs of the body, with particular interest in the arteries, veins and the heart chambers

65. anhydrous

having little or no water

66. anneal*

(metallurgy) To subject to great heat, and then cool slowly for the purpose of rendering less brittle; to temper; to toughen

67. annotator

one who annotates (annotate - to add comment to a text)

68. annuitant

one who receives amounts of money regularly over a certain fixed period

69. antecedent

/æntəˈsidnt/ something that precedes another

70. antediluvian

literally "before the flood"; Extremely ancient or antiquated; old; prehistoric (before Noah's Ark.) [From ante- + Latin diluvium flood]

71. antemeridian

Of or relating to morning; that happens in the morning.

72. antenatal

occurring or existing before birth

73. anthropocentric*

Placing humans at the center of something, giving preference to humans above all other considerations [anthropo-, meaning man, human]

74. anticatalyst*

substance that hinders a reaction, usually by affecting the catalyst

75. antidepressant

An agent that prevents or counteracts depression

76. antifungal

That inhibits the growth of fungi; antimycotic

77. antihero, anti-hero

(literature) A protagonist who proceeds in an unheroic manner, such as by criminal means, via cowardly actions, or for mercenary goals

78. antipathies

79. antipruritic

80. antitussive

81. aparejo

82. aphonia*

(medicine) Loss of voice; the inability to speak

83. apnea

84. apophasis

85. appendectomy

86. appetence

87. appliqué

88. apprenticeship

89. apraxia*

/ә'præksıә/ Total or partial loss of the ability to perform coordinated movements or manipulate objects in the absence of motor or sensory impairment; specifically, a disorder of motor planning [From Greek απραξία (aprāksiā), “‘inaction’”); From a- (“‘without’”) +‎ praxis (“‘action’”)]

90. arachnophobia

91. arbitrary

92. arbovirus*

Any virus that is transmitted by an arthropod

93. archetype

94. arduousness

95. arenicolous*

(biology) living or burrowing in sand

96. Argonne

97. Aristotelian, Aristotelean

98. arraign*

To officially charge someone in a court of law [French arraisonner (to verify the cargo of a vessel or avion), from raison]

99. arrhythmia

100. arthritis

101. ascendancy, ascendency

102. ascertain

103. askew

104. assayer

105. assemblage

106. assiduity

107. assumpsit

108. asthenopia

109. astigmatism

110. astrogate*

(science fiction, intransitive) To astronavigate; to control and guide a spacecraft

111. astutely*

In an astute manner

112. atrioventricular

113. atrophy*

/æ.trə.fi/ (pathology) A reduction in the functionality of an organ caused by disease, injury or lack of use.

114. attrition

115. audiology

116. audiophile

117. Augustinian

118. austerity

119. Australasia

120. autochthonous*

/ɑːˈtɑːkθənəs Native to the place where found; indigenous [example: Two of the most celebrated of the evolutionists reject the autochthonous view, for Darwin's Descent of Man and Haeckel's Hist. of Creation consider the American man an emigrant from the old world, whatever way the race may have developed] [Literally, "native to the soil"; from autochthon +‎ -ous]

121. autocracy

122. avarice

123. aviarist

124. avocados

125. azalea