National Spelling Bee '09: Prelims 117 words

any of various Spanish fortresses or palaces built by the Moors

punish with an arbitrary penalty

(classical mythology) a serpent with a head at each end of its body

the reversal of the normal order of words

a communist who was a member of the administrative system of a communist party

any of several Asian and North American conifers of the genera Thuja and Thujopsis

a studio especially for an artist or designer

long-legged web-footed black-and-white shorebird with slender upward-curving bill

the azimuth of a celestial body is the angle between the vertical plane containing it and the plane of the meridian

a thin plain-weave cotton or linen fabric; used for shirts or dresses

a German style of architecture begun by Walter Gropius in 1918

any of numerous plants of the division Bryophyta

a gaseous hydrocarbon C4H6; used in making synthetic rubbers

navigation in coastal waters

having a latticelike structure pierced with holes or windows

make a half turn on a horse, in dressage

combine with carbon

Brazilian fan palm having an edible root; source of a useful leaf fiber and a brittle yellowish wax

a milk protein used in making e.g. plastics and adhesives

hardy breed of cattle resulting from crossing domestic cattle with the American buffalo; yields leaner beef than conventional breeds

the state of being blind or lacking sight

a chain formerly worn at the waist by women; for carrying a purse or bunch of keys etc.

hardy hornless sheep of the Cheviot Hills noted for its short thick wool

a woolen tunic worn by men and women in ancient Greece

conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry

omnivorous mammal of Central America and South America

add by linking or joining so as to form a chain or series

resembling or made to resemble leather; tough but pliable

any of several plants of or developed from the species Dahlia pinnata having tuberous roots and showy rayed variously colored flower heads; native to the mountains of Mexico and Central America and Colombia

the arrangement of defensive fortifications to protect against enemy fire

territory over which rule or control is exercised

tending to diminish or disparage

passage of blood cells (especially white blood cells) through intact capillary walls and into the surrounding tissue

an antibiotic (trade name Erythrocin or E-Mycin or Ethril or Ilosone or Pediamycin) obtained from the actinomycete Streptomyces erythreus; effective against many Gram-positive bacteria and some Gram-negative

remove the entrails of

thin curly wood shavings used for packing or stuffing

pasta shaped with scalloped edges and pinched in the middle, suggestive of a bow tie

a metal cap or band placed on a wooden pole to prevent splitting

inflammation of a hair follicle

a strong cotton and linen fabric with a slight nap

having a corolla composed of partially or wholly fused petals forming a corolla shaped like a tube or funnel

a percussion instrument consisting of a set of graduated metal bars mounted on a frame and played with small hammers

an opaque watercolor prepared with gum

a silk or silklike fabric with crosswise ribs

abnormal enlargement of the liver

the fruiting stage of the inflorescence

keeping watch over examination candidates to prevent cheating

a collective farm or settlement owned by its members in modern Israel; children are reared collectively

arboreal fruit-eating mammal of tropical America with a long prehensile tail

Christian fellowship or communion with God or with fellow Christians; said in particular of the early Christian community

the art of engraving on precious stones

a member of the Lubavitch movement; a follower of Chabad Hasidism

to dry (blood, serum, or tissue) by freezing in a high vacuum

a projecting parapet supported by corbels on a medieval castle; has openings through which stones or boiling water could be dropped on an enemy

a member of the Zoroastrian priesthood of the ancient Persians

the driver and keeper of an elephant

an assembly plant in Mexico (near the United States border); parts are shipped into Mexico and the finished product is shipped back across the border

Mediterranean woody annual widely cultivated for its dense terminal spikelike clusters greenish or yellowish white flowers having an intense spicy fragrance

(used of relationships and of individuals) having one mate

pasta somewhat resembling little moustaches

a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (trade name Naprosyn) used in the treatment of arthritis and musculoskeletal inflammation and moderate pain

egg-shaped terra cotta wind instrument with a mouthpiece and finger holes

nocturnal wildcat of Central America and South America having a dark-spotted buff-brown coat

front consisting of the conical head of a missile or rocket that protects the payload from heat during its passage through the atmosphere

expressing offensive reproach

fragrant rootstock of various irises especially Florentine iris; used in perfumes and medicines

an involuntary intake of breath through a wide open mouth; usually triggered by fatigue or boredom

a dungeon with the only entrance or exit being a trap door in the ceiling

a thorny shrub of the genus Cercidium that grows in dry parts of the southwestern United States and adjacent Mexico; has smooth light green bark and racemes of yellow flowers and small leaves

appropriate (as property entrusted to one's care) fraudulently to one's own use

a bit with a bar mouthpiece that is designed to combine a curb and snaffle

a serious (sometimes fatal) infection of rodents caused by Yersinia pestis and accidentally transmitted to humans by the bite of a flea that has bitten an infected animal

organized persecution of an ethnic group (especially Jews)

Alexandrian astronomer (of the 2nd century) who proposed a geocentric system of astronomy that was undisputed until the late Renaissance

any of various amines (such as putrescine or cadaverine) formed by the action of putrefactive bacteria

the 400th anniversary (or the celebration of it)

an issue that is presented for formal disputation

of or relating to or characteristic of Francois Rabelais or his works

an Indian side dish of yogurt and chopped cucumbers and spices

a resident of Savoy

a fast movement (usually in triple time)

a German round dance resembling a slow polka

a very long word (a foot and a half long)

(physics) a quantum of energy or quasiparticle that can be propagated as a traveling wave in nonlinear systems and is neither preceded nor followed by another such disturbance; does not obey the superposition principle and does not dissipate

a waiter who manages wine service in a hotel or restaurant

a horizontal branch from the base of plant that produces new plants from buds at its tips

outer surface of an area or a body

a thick Middle Eastern paste made from ground sesame seeds

(Yiddish) an inexpensive showy trinket

of or relating to or resembling a series of tiles

of or relating to teleology

of or relating to dancing

a pasta dish with cream sauce and mushrooms

individual serving of minced e.g. meat or fish in a rich creamy sauce baked in a small pastry mold or timbale shell

a ringing or booming sensation in one or both ears; a symptom of an ear infection or Meniere's disease

the sound of a bell ringing

a doughnut-shaped chamber used in fusion research; a plasma is heated and confined in a magnetic bottle

covered with densely matted filaments

defiantly aggressive

a vessel that holds water for washing the hands

any agent that produces vasoconstriction and a rise in blood pressure (usually understood as increased arterial pressure)

lively, in music

ski, alternating directions

widely cultivated herb with leaves valued as salad green; either curly serrated leaves or broad flat ones that are usually blanched

the branch of chemistry concerned with fermentation (as in making wine or brewing or distilling)