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Vocabulary
UIL Spelling 2018-2019
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| abapical | lowest point |
| abbatial | relating to an abbey, abbot, or abbess (monks or nuns) |
| abidance | compliance |
| acquittance | a release, usually in writing, from an obligation |
| admissibility | the quality of being acceptable or valid, especially as evidence in a court of law |
| Aguadilla | a town in Puerto Rico where Columbus is said to have landed in 1493 |
| akimbo | with hands are on the hips and elbows are bowed outward |
| alpha privative | the prefix a- or an- before vowels, used in Greek and in English words borrowed from Greek to express absence or negation |
| ametropia | any error of refraction in which images do not focus properly on the retina (ex: nearsightedness, astigmatism) |
| amphibious | able to function both on land and in water |
| anaphylaxis | severe allergic reaction |
| androgynous | having both female and male characteristics |
| anecdotal | based on personal accounts rather than facts or research |
| anemia, anaemia | a deficiency of red blood cells |
| anthrax | an infectious disease of that can be transmitted to humans by warm-blooded animals, especially cattle and sheep, through contact with contaminated animal substances and is characterized by lesions |
| antipersonnel | designed to inflict death or personal injury rather than material destruction |
| appreciable | noticeable |
| apprehensible | capable of being understood or perceived |
| Arikara | a member of the Caddo people who formerly lived in the Dakotas west of the Missouri river |
| ascetic | one who leads a life of self-denial and contemplation; absent of luxury |
| aspersion | a damaging or derogatory statement |
| aspiration | a hope or ambition of achieving something |
| axenic | germ-free |
| bagasse | the residue left after sugarcane harvesting and processing that can be burned or converted into a biofuel to produce electricity |
| balata | a hard-wooded tropical tree yielding balata gum and heavy red timber; its sap is used to make golf ball covers |
| barratry | inciting riot or violence |
| Bauhaus | a German style of architecture begun by Walter Gropius in 1918 |
| bazooka | a portable rocket launcher used by infantrymen as an anti-tank weapon |
| beccafico | any of various small songbirds that are eaten as a delicacy in Italy and France |
| Bellerophon | (Greek mythology) a mythical hero of Corinth who performed miracles on the winged horse Pegasus (especially killing the monster Chimera) |
| bicaudal | having two tails |
| bodhisattva | a person who has attained enlightenment but who has postponed nirvana in order to help others achieve enlightenment |
| bouillabaisse | a Mediterranean fish stew combining a variety of fish and shellfish. |
| breviaries | a Christian religious book of selected daily prayers and psalms. |
| brio | vigor |
| brusquerie | abruptness or bluntness of manner |
| bucolic | pertaining to the countryside; rural; rustic |
| caïque | 1) a long narrow boat used in the Middle East 2) a bird |
| canvasser | one that takes or counts votes |
| capriccioso | in a free, playful, impulsive style |
| carillon | a set of bells (often in a tower) capable of being played |
| cathect | to invest emotion or feeling in (an idea, object, or another person) |
| caveat | a warning or caution to prevent misunderstanding or discourage behavior |
| ceilidh | a social or musical event dating back to the eighteenth century and associated with Celtic traditions |
| centesimal | relating to or divided into hundredths |
| cerulean | sky blue |
| chagrin | embarrassment; a complete loss of courage |
| chasseur | 1) a soldier, usually in the light cavalry, equipped and trained for rapid movement, especially in the French army 2) designating or cooked in a sauce consisting of white wine and mushrooms |
| chatoyant | varying in color when seen in different lights or from different angles |
| Chiricahua | a Native American tribe; the Apache language these people speak |
| chthonic | of or pertaining to the deities, spirits, and other beings dwelling under the earth |
| cilia | the hairlike projections on the outside of cells that move in a wavelike manner |
| cloche | 1) a cover used to protect small outdoor plants from frost 2) a cover placed over food during preparation or serving 3) a woman's hat |
| coeval | of the same time period |
| colliery | a coal mine with its buildings and equipment |
| colossus | an enormous structure |
| comme il faut | conforming to accepted standards: PROPER |
| communicative | talkative, vocal |
| consortium | a group of companies or institutions |
| cosmopolite | a person at home anywhere in the world |
| craniofacial | pertaining to the skull and face |
| credulous | gullible |
| crewel | fine worsted yarn used in tapestry |
| cryosurgery | use of subfreezing temperature to destroy tissue |
| cyclotron | a device used to accelerate charged particles to high energies for bombarding the nuclei of atoms |
| deficit spending | government practice of spending more than it takes in from taxes |
| degenerate | 1) a corrupt wrongdoer 2) to deteriorate |
| delamination | splitting or migration of one sheet into two sheets |
| demurrage | fee for delay by party shipping goods in loading or by party receiving goods in unloading |
| derailleur | gear shifting on a bike |
| dermatoplasty | skin grafting |
| Descartes | (1596-1650) French philosopher, discovered analytical geometry, saw algebra and geometry have a direct relationship, reduced everything to spiritual or physical |
| desideratum | something needed and wanted |
| despot | a dictator with absolute power |
| détente | the easing of hostility or strained relations, especially between countries |
| devastator | one who destroys or ruins |
| diagnostician | a doctor who specializes in medical diagnosis |
| diazinon | an organophosphate, widely used as an insecticide |
| dinghy | small boat |
| discombobulate | to confuse |
| disinclination | a reluctance or lack of enthusiasm |
| dissension | disagreement |
| divestiture | strategy whereby a firm sells one or more of its business units |
| doggerel | crude, simplistic verse, often in sing-song rhyme (ex: "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.") |
| Don Juan | a man obsessed with seducing women |
| dragée | 1) a sugar-coated nut 2) a small silver-colored ball used as a decoration (as on a cake) |
| dulcify | 1) to make more agreeable; mollify 2) to sweeten |
| Ecuador | a country in South America whose capital is Quito |
| ecumenism | the movement to restore unity among all Christians |
| efferent | conveying away from the center |
| efficacious | effective |
| effusion | 1) a process by which gas particles pass through a tiny opening 2) outpouring |
| electroshock | the administration of a strong electric current that passes through the brain to induce convulsions and coma |
| enigmatical | puzzling; mysterious |
| epicurism | the view the purpose of life is to serve the self with good health, refined living, and longevity |
| epigrammatize | to make a short written statement |
| equitation | the art of riding horses |
| erudition | deep, extensive learning |
| escarpment | a steep slope with a nearly flat plateau on top |
| estaminet | small café |
| euphuism | an artificial, highly elaborate way of writing or speaking |
| expunge | to erase or eliminate |
| extant | still existing |
| falcate | curved like a sickle |
| fanion | a small flag used to mark a position |
| felinity | quality of being catlike |
| Fenian | a member of an Irish revolutionary organization founded in New York in 1858, which worked for the establishment of an independent Irish republic |
| festschrift | a collection of writings published in honor of a scholar |
| fortitudinous | brave; courageous |
| frenzied | wildly excited or uncontrolled |
| frondescent | bearing, resembling, or having a profusion of leaves or fronds; leafy |
| futility | uselessness |
| gentian violet | purple dye with antifungal properties used to treat candida |
| geomagnetic storm | temporary disturbance of the Earth's magnetosphere caused by a disturbance in space weather |
| Gewürztraminer | 1) a variety of white grape grown mainly in the Alsace, Austria, and the Rhine Valley 2) a wine made from the grape |
| gimmal | a finger ring consisting of a pair or series of interlocked rings |
| golem | an artificial human being in Hebrew folklore endowed with life |
| gonfalonier | the bearer of a banner suspended from a crosspiece |
| grandiose | impressive; showy; magnificent |
| granuloma | a granular tumor or growth |
| grimalkin | 1) a cat, especially an old female cat 2) a grumpy old woman |
| grommet | a circular metal eyelet used to reinforce holes in fabric |
| guillemot | a seabird with black plumage and white markings |
| hagioscope | opening in wall to enable viewing of altar |
| hemangioma | a benign tumor made up of newly formed blood vessels |
| heroic verse | a verse form suited to the treatment of heroic or elevated themes |
| Hibernia | Roman name for Ireland |
| hippocampus | a section of the brain that helps process explicit memories for storage |
| Ho Chi Minh | Communist leader of North Vietnam |
| horologe | a device used in telling time |
| hospitable | generous and friendly to guests or visitors |
| hydrarch | originating in a wet habitat, such as a pond |
| hygroscopic | a term describing salts and other compounds that remove moisture from the air |
| illusory | misleading; deceptive |
| immiscible | two or more liquids that do not mix with each other |
| implication | the act of suggesting or hinting |
| impromptu | without preparation |
| improvident | not having planned ahead; thoughtless |
| impudicity | shamelessness |
| impuissance | powerlessness; feebleness |
| inconsequential | unimportant; trivial |
| indoctrination | teaching someone to accept an idea or principle without question |
| ineffable | indescribable or unspeakable |
| inordinate | far too great; excessive |
| invidious | causing envy |
| jaçana | a shorebird with long toes that enable them to walk on the floating leaves of water plants |
| javelina | a small type of wild hog |
| jugate | joined |
| karma | the belief that actions in this life, whether good or bad, will decide your place in the next life |
| kerygma | the core teaching about Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord |
| kilderkin | a cask (barrel) used for holding 16 or 18 gallons |
| knar, knaur | a knot or burl on a tree or in wood |
| kyphosis | excessive outward curvature of the spine, causing hunching of the back |
| landau | a horse-drawn four-wheeled enclosed carriage with a removable front cover and a back cover that can be raised and lowered |
| larcenous | thieving |
| laureate | someone honored for great achievements |
| lavaliere | jeweled pendant worn on a chain around the neck |
| legerdemain | sleight of hand; deception |
| leguminous | relating to or consisting of legumes (peas) |
| lemma | husk (on a plant) |
| lenity | kindness; gentleness |
| lexicon | a dictionary of a language |
| librettist | dramatist who writes the libretto, or text, of an opera |
| ligneous | having the texture or appearance of wood |
| liquescent | becoming liquid |
| loggerhead | a stupid person |
| louche | not reputable or decent |
| ludic | showing spontaneous and undirected playfulness |
| lumpenproletariat | in capitalism, the underclass of chronically unemployed or irregularly employed who are in and out of the workforce |
| Lupercalia | a fertility festival in ancient Rome, celebrated on February 15 in honor of the pastoral god Lupercus |
| magisterium | teaching authority of the church |
| maharishi | a Hindu religious teacher |
| malignancy | evil |
| manorial | of or relating to a mansion and the land belonging to it |
| maraca | musical instrument made from a hollow gourd filled with dried seeds or pebbles that sounds like a rattle |
| maraud | roam in search of things to steal or people to attack |
| martial law | rule by the army instead of the elected government |
| masseter | a muscle that closes the mouth |
| meliorism | the belief that the world can be made better by human effort |
| merino | sheep with long, silky wool |
| mesmerist | hypnotist |
| mesothelium | the epithelium found in serous membranes lining the ventral body cavity and covering its organs |
| millenary | relating to or consisting of 1000 |
| mitigate | make less severe, serious, or painful |
| mnemonic | pertaining to or assisting the memory |
| monastery | a community of monks |
| monaural | pertaining to one ear |
| monochasium | flat-topped flower with a single bloom on each axis |
| motile | able to move |
| multisensory | involving many senses |
| muster roll | a list of names of officers and men in a military unit or ship's company |
| neuralgia | nerve pain |
| neuropathy | nerve disease |
| nidifugous | leaving the nest soon after hatching |
| noblesse oblige | the inferred responsibility of privileged people to act with generosity and nobility toward those less privileged |
| nomenklatura | a list of influential posts in government and industry to be filled by Communist Party appointees. |
| noria | a device for raising water from a stream or river |
| nunciature | the office or the term of service of a nuncio |
| odeum | a small theater or concert hall |
| oneiric | of or relating to dreams |
| oology | study of eggs |
| opisthognathous | having receding jaws |
| oriflamme | an inspiring standard or symbol |
| ornithopter | an aircraft propelled by flapping wings |
| oropharynx | the area directly posterior to the mouth |
| ostinato | a continually repeated musical phrase or rhythm |
| paisano | a peasant of Spanish or Italian ethnic origin |
| palatial | relating to a palace; magnificent |
| panache | self-confidence; a showy manner |
| panegyrist | one who gets up on stage and uses a speech that praises someone; highly praising someone |
| panoply | impressive array |
| parable | a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson |
| paramedical | having some connection with or relation to the science or practice of medicine |
| paraphrastic | altered by paraphrasing |
| parataxis | the placing of clauses or phrases one after another, without words to indicate coordination or subordination (ex: "Tell me, how are you?") |
| pasqueflower | any plant of the genus Pulsatilla |
| paterfamilias | male head of family |
| patinaed | having a coating, covering, or sheen; used especially to describe the corrosive green layer that forms on copper and its alloys |
| perfidious | faithless, disloyal, untrustworthy |
| pernickety | placing too much emphasis on trivial or minor details; fussy |
| pertinacious | stubbornly persistent |
| petulance | rudeness, irritability |
| phantasmagoria | rapidly changing images |
| pharmacodynamics | pharmacodynamics |
| philanderer | one who engages in love affairs lightly or insincerely |
| piacular | of, relating to, or involving sacrifice |
| plaintain | a type of banana used in cooking |
| plethoric | excessively full |
| plumbiferous | containing lead |
| poltroon | coward |
| pomology | study of fruits and nuts |
| Ponzi scheme | an investment fraud that involves the payment of purported returns to existing investors from funds contributed by new investors |
| potentate | monarch or ruler with great power |
| prandial | pertaining to a meal |
| prefatory | introductory |
| prelate | a high-ranking member of the clergy, especially a bishop |
| prima dona | an overly vain person |
| primrose path | a life of ease and pleasure |
| principium | a fundamental principle |
| promenade | a stroll or a walk |
| propaedeutic | preparatory study or instruction |
| prosecutorial | implying wrongdoing; accusatory |
| pyrrhotite | a reddish-brown mineral consisting of iron sulfide, typically forming massive or granular deposits |
| quipu, khipu | an arrangement of knotted strings on a cord, used by the Inca to record numerical information |
| Quirinal | one of the seven hills on which ancient Rome was built |
| radiolocation | detection of distant objects, such as ships or aircraft, by radar |
| ranula | large abscess on the floor of the mouth |
| rappelled | climb using a rope |
| ravening | excessively greedy |
| recusant | disobedient to authority |
| relume | to light again |
| reparations | payment for damages after a war |
| repoussé | hammering a metal into relief from the reverse side |
| requisite | required; necessary |
| resonance | a phenomenon that occurs when two objects naturally vibrate at the same frequency |
| restitutions | the act of making good or compensating for a loss, damage, or injury |
| revanche | the policy of a nation to seek the return of lost territory |
| revocation | an act or instance of calling back or cancelling |
| ritornello | a short instrumental refrain or interlude in a vocal work |
| Roche limit | the distance a moon can be from a planet before shattering from tidal forces |
| Romaic | the Greek language |
| Rotarian | A member of a Rotary Club, a major national and international service club |
| roundelay | a short, simple song with a refrain |
| rubricate | to mark or color with red |
| rufescent | reddish |
| rupicolous | thriving or living on rocks |
| rusticate | to spend time in the country (not in the city) |
| saccate | sac-like |
| salience | an individual's belief that an issue is important or relevant to him or her |
| sally lunn | a flat round slightly sweet teacake usually served hot |
| sanctimony | self-righteousness, hypocritical with FALSE piety |
| sapience | deep wisdom or knowledge |
| scrupulously | extremely careful and precise |
| scrutable | study |
| scutellate | covered with overlapping bony plates or scales (ex: bird feet) |
| secessionism | a form of territorial conflict where a group wants to withdraw from an existing state and form its own state |
| selenography | the study of the moon's surface |
| Septuagesima | the third Sunday before Lent |
| seraph | an angel having three pairs of wings |
| sericeous | covered with fine silky hair |
| serval | a black-spotted African wildcat |
| sheldrake | an Old World goose-like duck with a red bill |
| shofar | a trumpet made of a ram's horn, used to summon Jews to prayer |
| shogi | Japanese chess |
| sika | a small deer that is native to eastern Asia |
| sinistral | pertaining to the left or left hand |
| skewbald | having small patches of brown and white |
| sphenogram | a cuneiform or wedge-shaped character |
| spondylosis | stiff, immobile condition of the spine caused by joint degeneration |
| squalor | filth; misery |
| sternutation | the act of sneezing |
| sthenia | strength |
| stomatology | study of the mouth |
| stridulate | to make a shrill creaking noise by rubbing body parts together. |
| stupefy | to stun, baffle, or amaze |
| subaxillary | situated beneath the axilla or armpit |
| subornation | to bribe or induce (someone) unlawfully or secretly to perform some misdeed or to commit a crime |
| supereminent | of superior rank, extremely distinguished |
| supervene | to follow immediately after |
| syringomyelia | a disease of the spinal cord in which the nerve tissue is replaced by a cavity filled with fluid |
| Taoism | a Chinese philosophy in which people live a simple life in harmony with nature |
| tapioca | cassava starch processed and used as a thickening agent in liquid foods, such as pudding, soups or juicy pies |
| tarot | a card used for fortunetelling. |
| temerarious | daring; rash; reckless |
| tenable | capable of being held or defended |
| tenonitis | inflammation of a tendon |
| theogony | origin of the gods |
| thyrsus | a staff or spear tipped with a pine cone, carried by Dionysus |
| timocracy | a form of government in which possession of property is required in order to hold office |
| tocsin | alarm bell |
| toheroa | a large NZ mollusk used extensively for food |
| torsade | a decorative trimming of twisted ribbon or cord, used especially on hats |
| torturous | involving torture; inflicting pain |
| transitionary | change from one form, state, style, or place to another |
| trichinosis | disease caused by eating raw or undercooked meat, usually pork, infected with Trichinella larvae |
| trochaic | a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable in a poem |
| tuatara | a lizard native to New Zealand |
| unappropriated | not designated for a specific use |
| unciform | shaped like a hook |
| underling | a person lower in status or rank |
| unilateral | one-sided |
| unmortise | to loosen a joint; separate |
| urethane | a pesticide, fungicide, and former anesthetic |
| vagility | the ability of an organism to move about freely and migrate |
| Van Allen belt | each of two regions of intense radiation partly surrounding the earth at heights of several thousand kilometers |
| ventilator | device that breathes for the patient |
| veracious | honest; truthful |
| Vespucci | the man (Amerigo) who first said that the Americas were completely separate from Asia, thus the continent was named after him |
| vicennial | happening every 20 years |
| videophile | one who loves video |
| vilified | to speak bad about a person or thing |
| vitreous | like glass in appearance or physical properties |
| volatility | the tendency of a substance to vaporize |
| Vouvray | white wine |
| whilom | former |
| wildebeest | large African antelope having a head with horns like an ox and a long tufted tail |
| Winesap | crisp apple with dark red skin |
| wryness | ironic or clever twist in the turn of events |
| xanthoma | benign yellow tumor in the skin |
| xerosere | succession in a dry habitat |
| xyster | surgical instrument for scraping bones |
| yeanling | lamb or kid |
| ylem | (in big bang theory) the primordial matter of the universe |
| zastruga | a long wavelike ridge of snow, formed by the wind and found on the polar plains. |
| zoonosis | a disease that can pass from animals to humans |
Created by:
georgia.smith
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