Important mid to high level study words

Cool Person Who Can Spell
These are some words that you would find playing Spelling Bee with a 630 average as well as some quintessential different origin words.
*Note- 170 word version contains the more difficult words
170 words 4 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. aberrancy
    a state or condition markedly different from the norm
  2. abrogate
    revoke formally
  3. Abyssinian
    a small slender short-haired breed of African origin having brownish fur with a reddish undercoat
  4. accrete
    grow, accumulate, or fuse together
  5. acculturate
    assimilate culturally
  6. adumbrate
    describe roughly or give the main points or summary of
  7. alimentary
    of or providing nourishment
  8. ancillary
    furnishing added support
  9. androgynous
    having both male and female characteristics
  10. anoint
    administer an oil or ointment to, often ceremonially
  11. asphyxiate
    deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing
  12. avocado
    a pear-shaped tropical fruit with green or blackish skin
  13. azimuth
    the azimuth of a celestial body is the angle between the vertical plane containing it and the plane of the meridian
  14. Baedeker
    German publisher of a series of travel guidebooks
  15. baize
    a bright green fabric napped to resemble felt
  16. balaclava
    a tight knit cap that covers the entire head and neck
  17. banquette
    an upholstered bench
  18. batik
    a dyed fabric
  19. Bauhaus
    a German style of architecture begun by Walter Gropius in 1918
  20. bazar
    a street of small shops (especially in Orient)
  21. bivouac
    temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
  22. bivouac
    temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
  23. bourgeoisie
    a socioeconomic group that is neither wealthy nor poor
  24. bourtree
    a common shrub with black fruit or a small tree of Europe and Asia
  25. boutonniere
    a flower that is worn in a buttonhole
  26. boutonniere
    a flower that is worn in a buttonhole
  27. braggadocio
    vain and empty boasting
  28. Bromeliaceae
    a family of tropical American plants of order Xyridales including several (as the pineapple) of economic importance
  29. brougham
    light carriage; pulled by a single horse
  30. cancellous
    having an open or latticed or porous structure
  31. cannelloni
    tubular pasta filled with meat or cheese
  32. cannibalize
    eat human flesh
  33. cappelletti
    small circular or square cases of dough with savory fillings
  34. cappelletti
    small circular or square cases of dough with savory fillings
  35. caracole
    make a half turn on a horse, in dressage
  36. carrefour
    a junction where one street or road crosses another
  37. caveat
    a warning against certain acts
  38. ceriman
    tropical American vine having roots that hang like cords and cylindrical fruit with a pineapple and banana flavor
  39. chaparral
    dense vegetation consisting of stunted trees or bushes
  40. chaparral
    dense vegetation consisting of stunted trees or bushes
  41. characin
    any freshwater fish of the family Characinidae
  42. charcuterie
    a store that specializes in meats and meat products
  43. chignon
    a roll of hair worn at the nape of the neck
  44. chuddar
    a cloth used as a head covering by Muslim and Hindu women
  45. classicistic
    of or relating to classicism
  46. cloze
    based on or being a test of reading skill using the cloze procedure
  47. coati
    omnivorous mammal of Central America and South America
  48. coelostat
    optical device used to follow the path of a celestial body and reflect its light into a telescope; has a movable and a fixed mirror
  49. coiffure
    the arrangement of the hair
  50. commandant
    an officer in charge of a military unit
  51. commemorate
    call to remembrance
  52. commissar
    an official of the Communist Party who was assigned to teach party principles to a military unit
  53. commissar
    an official of the Communist Party who was assigned to teach party principles to a military unit
  54. concessionaire
    someone who holds or operates a concession
  55. dachshund
    small long-bodied short-legged German breed of dog having a short sleek coat and long drooping ears; suited for following game into burrows
  56. dah
    the longer of the two telegraphic signals used in Morse code
  57. darnel
    weedy annual grass often occurs in grainfields and other cultivated land; seeds sometimes considered poisonous
  58. deductible
    an amount that can be subtracted, as for tax purposes
  59. defibrillate
    restore a normal heartbeat by means of electric shocks
  60. defrayal
    the act of paying money
  61. dengue
    a tropical disease spread by mosquitoes
  62. desiccate
    lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless
  63. durian
    tree of southeast Asia having fruit with a hard spiny rind
  64. dyadic
    of or relating to a dyad or based on two
  65. ecclesiastic
    of or associated with a church
  66. effete
    excessively self-indulgent, affected, or decadent
  67. elegiac
    resembling or characteristic of a lament for the dead
  68. excelsior
    thin curly wood shavings used for packing or stuffing
  69. farfalle
    pasta shaped with scalloped edges and pinched in the middle, suggestive of a bow tie
  70. Fauntleroy
    an excessively polite and well-dressed boy
  71. fauteuil
    an upholstered armchair
  72. fete
    an elaborate party, often outdoors
  73. fettuccine
    pasta in flat strips wider than linguine
  74. Fraulein
    a German courtesy title or form of address for an unmarried woman
  75. fusillade
    rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms
  76. Garibaldi
    Italian patriot whose conquest of Sicily and Naples led to the formation of the Italian state (1807-1882)
  77. gerrymander
    divide voting districts unfairly and to one's advantage
  78. gnocchi
    small Italian dumplings made of potato or flour
  79. gynecology
    the branch of medicine that deals with the diseases and hygiene of women
  80. haft
    the handle of a weapon or tool
  81. hagiology
    literature narrating the lives (and legends) of the saints
  82. hallux
    the first largest innermost toe
  83. harass
    annoy continually or chronically
  84. hawse
    the hole that an anchor rope passes through
  85. heterogeneous
    consisting of elements not of the same kind or nature
  86. hollandaise
    a sauce made from melted butter, egg yolks, and lemon juice
  87. horst
    a ridge that has been forced upward between two faults
  88. hydrazine
    a colorless fuming corrosive liquid
  89. hypochlorite
    any salt or ester of hypochlorous acid
  90. ichthyologist
    a zoologist who studies fishes
  91. immiscible
    (chemistry, physics) incapable of mixing
  92. indiscreet
    lacking discretion; injudicious
  93. indispensable
    essential
  94. ingenue
    an artless innocent young girl
  95. inoculate
    inject or treat with the germ of a disease to render immune
  96. internecine
    within a group or organization
  97. inundate
    fill or cover completely, usually with water
  98. inveigle
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
  99. Jacobin
    a member of the radical movement that instituted the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution
  100. jongleur
    a wandering medieval entertainer, especially a minstrel
  101. Kafkaesque
    relating to or in the manner of Franz Kafka or his writings
  102. khaddar
    a coarse homespun cotton cloth made in India
  103. kirtle
    a garment resembling a tunic that was worn by men in the Middle Ages
  104. kitsch
    excessively gaudy or sentimental art
  105. kohlrabi
    plant cultivated for its enlarged fleshy turnip-shaped edible stem
  106. Kuchean
    a dialect of Tocharian
  107. Legionnaire
    a member of the American Legion
  108. legionnaire
    a soldier who is a member of a legion
  109. lieutenant
    a commissioned military officer
  110. linguini
    pasta in long slender flat strips
  111. literati
    well-educated people who are interested in books
  112. Martial
    Roman poet noted for epigrams (first century BC)
  113. martinet
    someone who demands exact conformity to rules and forms
  114. Massachusetts
    a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies
  115. mihrab
    a design in the shape of niche in a Muslim prayer rug
  116. millennium
    a span of 1000 years
  117. minuscule
    very small
  118. misanthropy
    hatred of mankind
  119. mischievous
    naughtily or annoyingly playful
  120. mitre
    joint that forms a corner
  121. moiety
    one of two approximately equal parts
  122. mostaccioli
    pasta somewhat resembling little moustaches
  123. nacreous
    consisting of or resembling mother-of-pearl
  124. narcissistic
    having an inflated idea of one's own importance
  125. Nisei
    a person born in the United States of parents who emigrated from Japan
  126. noisome
    causing or able to cause nausea
  127. occurrence
    an instance of something happening
  128. opossum
    nocturnal arboreal marsupial having a naked prehensile tail found from southern North America to northern South America
  129. palas
    East Indian tree bearing a profusion of intense vermilion velvet-textured blooms and yielding a yellow dye
  130. paparazzo
    a freelance photographer who pursues celebrities
  131. percussor
    (medicine) a small hammer with a rubber head used in percussive examinations of the chest and in testing reflexes
  132. philippic
    a speech of violent denunciation
  133. pleonasm
    using more words than necessary
  134. portiere
    a heavy curtain hung across a doorway
  135. prosciutto
    Italian salt-cured ham usually sliced paper thin
  136. puerility
    the state of a child between infancy and adolescence
  137. Purim
    (Judaism) a Jewish holy day commemorating their deliverance from massacre by Haman
  138. pyrope
    a deep red garnet used as a gemstone
  139. quiescent
    being quiet or still or inactive
  140. recommend
    express a good opinion of
  141. reseau
    a net or mesh foundation for lace
  142. sarsaparilla
    any of various prickly climbing plants of the tropical American genus Smilax having aromatic roots and heart-shaped leaves
  143. schlemiel
    (Yiddish) a dolt who is a habitual bungler
  144. schlock
    merchandise that is shoddy or inferior
  145. schnecken
    rolled dough spread with sugar and nuts then sliced and baked in muffin tins with honey or sugar and butter in the bottom
  146. schnecken
    rolled dough spread with sugar and nuts then sliced and baked in muffin tins with honey or sugar and butter in the bottom
  147. schottische
    a German round dance resembling a slow polka
  148. schottische
    a German round dance resembling a slow polka
  149. seize
    take hold of; grab
  150. shallu
    sorghum having slender dry stalks and small hard grains
  151. sirdar
    an important person in India
  152. sirocco
    a hot, dry wind from North Africa that blows into southern Europe
  153. sisal
    Mexican or West Indian plant with large fleshy leaves yielding a stiff fiber used in e.g. rope
  154. soupcon
    a slight but appreciable amount
  155. soutane
    a long cassock with buttons down the front
  156. stevedore
    a laborer who loads and unloads ships at a waterfront
  157. subaqueous
    growing, living, or remaining under water
  158. subpoena
    a writ issued to compel the attendance of a witness
  159. subterranean
    being or operating under the surface of the earth
  160. syllogism
    reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises
  161. tannin
    any of various complex phenolic substances of plant origin
  162. taupe
    a greyish brown
  163. timpani
    a large brass or copper drum
  164. toboggan
    a long narrow sled without runners
  165. tokamak
    a doughnut-shaped chamber used in fusion research
  166. trope
    language used in a nonliteral sense
  167. tympani
    a large brass or copper drum
  168. tympanum
    the main cavity of the ear
  169. wasteweir
    a channel that carries excess water over or around a dam or other obstruction
  170. wedel
    ski, alternating directions
Created on Fri Mar 12 23:09:54 EST 2010 (updated Sat Mar 17 01:33:21 EDT 2012)

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