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8 finalists were named co-champions of the 2019 national spelling bee - here are the definitions of all the winning words
8 finalists were named co-champions of the 2019 national spelling bee - here are the definitions of all the winning words
Marissa PerinoJun 1, 2019, 01:16 IST
Co-champions of the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee, from left, Shruthika Padhy, 13, of Cherry Hill, N.J., Erin Howard, 14, of Huntsville, Ala., Rishik Gandhasri, 13, of San Jose, Calif., Christopher Serrao, 13, of Whitehouse Station, N.J., Saketh Sundar, 13, of Clarksville, Md., Sohum Sukhatankar, 13, of Dallas, Texas, Rohan Raja, 13, of Irving, Texas, and Abhijay Kodali, 12, of Flower Mound, Texas, hold the trophy in Oxon Hill, Md.AP/Susan Walsh
Each of the winners correctly spelled their given word: auslaut, erysipelas, bougainvillea, aiguillette, pendeloque, palama, cernuous, and odylic. A mix of adjectives and nouns, the words' definitions range from the webbing on the feet of aquatic birds (palama) to a genus of American shrubs (bougainvillea).
This year, the Bee ran out of challenging words to give contestants, ending the final round with an "unprecedented" eight-way tie: Rishik Gandhasri, Erin Howard, Saketh Sundar, Shruthika Padhy, Sohum Sukhatankar, Abhijay Kodali, Christopher Serrao and Rohan Raja. The New York Times' Daniel Victor tweeted that the co-champions beat the dictionary.
Keep reading for a look at the winning words from the past quarter century, from "xanthosis" in 1995 to this year's eight.
Definition of xanthosis: (noun) yellow discoloration of the skin from abnormal causes; a virus disease of the strawberry plant characterized by crinkling and curling, yellowing and dwarfing of the leaves, and stunting of the entire plant
Definition of appoggiatura: (noun) an embellishing note or tone preceding an essential melodic note or tone and usually written as a note of smaller size
2006: Ursprache
Definition of Ursprache: (noun) a parent language; especially one reconstructed from the evidence of later languages
Definition of feuilleton: (noun) a part of a European newspaper or magazine devoted to material designed to entertain the general reader; something (such as an installment of a novel) printed in a feuilleton; a novel printed in installments; a work of fiction catering to popular taste; a short literary composition often having a familiar tone and reminiscent content
Definition of stichomythia: (noun) dialogue especially of altercation or dispute delivered by two actors in alternating lines (as in classical Greek drama)
Definition of nunatak: (noun) a hill or mountain completely surrounded by glacial ice
2016: Feldenkrais, gesellschaft
Medical Definition of Feldenkrais: (trademark) used for a system of aided body movements intended to increase bodily awareness and ease tension
Definition of gesellschaft: (noun) a rationally developed mechanistic type of social relationship characterized by impersonally contracted associations between persons; a community or society characterized by this relationship
Definition of koinonia: (noun) the Christian fellowship or body of believers; intimate spiritual communion and participative sharing in a common religious commitment and spiritual community
Definition of auslaut: (noun) final sound in a word or syllable; end position of a sound in a word or syllable
Definition of erysipelas: (noun) an acute febrile disease associated with intense edematous local inflammation of the skin and subcutaneous tissues caused by a hemolytic streptococcus
Definition of bougainvillea: (noun) any of a genus (Bougainvillaea) of the four-o'clock family of ornamental tropical American woody vines and shrubs with brilliant purple or red floral bracts
Definition of aiguillette: (noun) aglet; specifically, a shoulder cord worn by designated military aides
Definition of pendeloque: (noun) a diamond or other gemstone cut in the form of a pear-shaped brilliant with a table; briolette; a usually pear-shaped glass pendant used for ornamenting a lamp or chandelier
