Spelling Bee level 5

abominable

abominable. adjective: hateful or disgusting Selling people into slavery was an abominable practice.

accolade

accolade. noun: praise or honour given to someone She deserves the highest accolade for her wonderful performance in the eisteddfod.

acquaintance

acquaintance. noun: a person you know Dad met an old acquaintance at the conference.

acquisition

acquisition. noun: the act of obtaining something The director was delighted with the museum's acquisition of the ancient Egyptian vase.

acrimony

acrimony. noun: harshness or bitterness It's a shame there's so much acrimony between the two rivals.

adjacent

adjacent. adjective: lying near or close to Most schools have pedestrian crossings adjacent to their entry gates.

adjourn

adjourn. verb: to defer or postpone The judge decided to adjourn the court case until the next morning.

advantageous

advantageous. adjective: useful or beneficial It was advantageous for the athletes to run in the inside lane.

alchemist

alchemist. noun: someone who aimed at changing metals into gold in medieval times The alchemist spent his lifetime trying to turn copper into gold but never succeeded.

alleviate

alleviate. verb: to make easier to bear She knew that a hot bath would alleviate the soreness in her legs after such a long bushwalk.

amalgamate

amalgamate. verb: to join together The two companies decided to amalgamate and move to a new location.

ambiguity

ambiguity. noun: a doubtfulness or uncertainty of meaning The rules have to be absolutely clear, with no ambiguity.

ambivalent

ambivalent. adjective: unable to make up your mind due to conflicting feelings She felt ambivalent about going to the party -- it would be fun, but she was very tired.

analogous

analogous. adjective: similar or comparable in some way Our problems were analogous, so I was able to give her some advice.

ancillary

ancillary. adjective: acting to help or support The ancillary staff at school help the teachers in the classroom.

anomaly

anomaly. noun: a variation from what is standard She never misses school so her absence from school was an anomaly.

antiquated

antiquated. adjective: old-fashioned or out of date We thought that Grandma's washing machine was quite antiquated compared to ours.

antiseptic

antiseptic. noun: a chemical used to kill germs that produce disease We cleaned the cut with antiseptic before putting a bandage on it.

apprehensive

apprehensive. adjective: afraid or uneasy about something that may happen They were apprehensive about walking through the dark streets.

arbitration

arbitration. noun: the settling of a disagreement by someone chosen to find a solution The neighbours could not resolve their dispute, so they were ordered to go through arbitration to have the matter settled.

aristocracy

aristocracy. noun: in some societies, the people of highest rank In Europe, the aristocracy once ruled the so-called `lower' classes.

basilica

basilica. noun: a large oblong building in Roman times In Roman times, the basilica was used as a meeting place.

behemoth

behemoth. noun: a huge and powerful person, animal or thing The elephant is a behemoth of the animal world.

benevolent

benevolent. adjective: desiring to do good for others A benevolent passer-by helped my grandmother carry her shopping to the car.

blasphemy

blasphemy. noun: words or actions showing disrespect for God or sacred things The author who criticised the Bible was accused of blasphemy.

brigadier

brigadier. noun: an army officer of high rank My grandfather was a brigadier in the Vietnam War.

budgerigar

budgerigar. noun: a parakeet of the inland regions of Australia, often kept as a pet I would like to keep a budgerigar as a pet but I'm worried that my cat might like it too!

buoyant

buoyant. adjective: tending to float or rise in a fluid This rubber ring will keep you buoyant in the water.

cadaverous

cadaverous. adjective: pale and thin, or like a corpse The zombies in the movie were horribly cadaverous -- a wonderful job by the make up department!

calligraphy

calligraphy. noun: the art of doing beautiful handwriting Not very many people learn the art of calligraphy these days.

candelabra

candelabra. noun: an ornamental branched candlestick On special occasions we put a candelabra in the centre of the dinner table.

cannula

cannula. noun: a metal tube for insertion into the body, used to keep a passage open or to introduce medication The nurse had to insert a cannula into a blood vessel to attach the drip.

caribou

caribou. noun: any of several kinds of reindeer from North America Both the male and female caribou have antlers.

cassowary

cassowary. noun: a flightless Australasian bird The cassowary is almost as large as the ostrich.

catastrophic

catastrophic. adjective: extremely severe in outcome Many people were left with nowhere to live after the catastrophic earthquake.

cerise

cerise. noun: a red colour like that of a cherry His favourite shade of red is cerise.

chancellor

chancellor. noun: the honorary head of a university The chancellor arrived at the graduation ceremony in colourful robes.

chateau

chateau. noun: a French castle, or a similar large house We stayed in a 17th-century chateau when we were in France.

chimerical

chimerical. adjective: imaginary, or not real He drew a chimerical scene of dragons and trolls for his art project.

chiropractor

chiropractor. noun: someone trained to treat back pain and other types of illness by massaging and adjusting the spine The footballer's back felt much better after a few sessions with the chiropractor.

cholera

cholera. noun: an infectious tropical disease of the digestive system which can be fatal Many people died of cholera in the epidemic.

citronella

citronella. noun: a type of fragrant grass used as a source of oil for candles, perfume and soap Citronella is very effective in keeping mosquitoes away.

coalition

coalition. noun: a combination of two or more political parties with similar goals The coalition presented a united front in their approach to free trade.

collocation

collocation. noun: in writing, a conventional way of combining words such as 'solemn promise' rather than 'serious promise' 'The mind boggles' is a common collocation in English.

colloquialism

colloquialism. noun: an expression you use when talking and chatting, but usually not in serious writing 'Fair dinkum' used to be a common colloquialism in Australian English, but it's not used much anymore

cologne

cologne. noun: a kind of perfume The cologne had a pleasant fragrance.

commemorate

commemorate. verb: to honour the memory of someone or something There were lengthy discussions on how to commemorate the Anzac Day centenary.

commission

commission. noun: a group of people who have been given particular official duties A commission was set up to regulate fishing permits.

conceptualise

conceptualise. verb: to form an idea or ideas of They couldn't conceptualise how the rocket would actually fly but it looked pretty impressive!

connotation

connotation. noun: the broad range of associations that are attached to a word, so that it has more than just a literal meaning The term 'the bush' has a different connotation to what it has in other parts of the world.

consensus

consensus. noun: general agreement After hours of discussion, the committee reached a consensus on which design would be adopted for the new building.

contemptuous

contemptuous. adjective: showing dislike or disgust His sister was always contemptuous of his untidy appearance and poor manners.

counsellor

counsellor. noun: an adviser, especially a psychologist The school counsellor gave me some good advice on how best to manage my time.

creche

creche. noun: an establishment, or an area temporarily set aside, for the minding of babies or young children for their parents My little brother is going to the creche two days a week until he's old enough to start school.

delirium

delirium. noun: a state of wild excitement or emotion The crowd was in a delirium of joy when their team came back from twenty points behind to win the game!

delphinium

delphinium. noun: a type of garden plant with spikes of blue flowers The bright blue flowers of the delphinium always attract attention.

diagnosis

diagnosis. noun: the identification of an illness or condition by examination of the symptoms They would have to wait for the test results before a diagnosis could be made.

differential

differential. adjective: showing a difference or distinction Opposition to differential pay rates was one of the important platforms of feminism.

discourteous

discourteous. adjective: lacking politeness My grandma won't allow any discourteous behaviour in her house.

discrepancy

discrepancy. noun: a difference There is a discrepancy between the two accounts and we don't know which to believe.

duress

duress. noun: the use of threats or force The man claimed he had only signed the confession under duress.

elixir

elixir. noun: a preparation formerly believed to prolong life Many fairy tales tell of a search for a magic elixir.

embryo

embryo. noun: a young animal or human in the very early stages of growing in the womb It's amazing to think that each of us was once a tiny embryo.

entourage

entourage. noun: a group of people attending and helping someone, especially an important person The prime minister's entourage travelled with her on the plane.

equivocal

equivocal. adjective: undecided, or unable to make up your mind about something He was equivocal about whether or not he really wanted to go to the party.

espadrille

espadrille. noun: a rope-soled shoe or sandal She was running late because she couldn't find her other espadrille amongst all her shoes.

eucalyptus

eucalyptus. noun: a type of tree with many different varieties, used for its timber and its strong oil The Australian bush is characterised by the eucalyptus.

excruciating

excruciating. adjective: very painful or causing great suffering The pain from her burns was excruciating.

exorbitant

exorbitant. adjective: going beyond what is normal or reasonable, especially in price I avoid that shop because it charges exorbitant prices.

extortionate

extortionate. adjective: excessively high The price of limes was extortionate because they were out of season.

felicitations

felicitations. plural noun: expressions of good wishes or congratulations The newly elected mayor received many felicitations on his appointment.

humerus

humerus. noun: the single long bone in the arm which goes from the shoulder to the elbow The humerus is the only bone in the upper arm.

hypnotherapy

hypnotherapy. noun: the use of hypnosis treatment to overcome something Hypnotherapy helped my mum overcome her fear of heights.

impeccable

impeccable. adjective: without any faults The principal said she was proud of our impeccable behaviour on the excursion.

inappropriate

inappropriate. adjective: not suitable for a particular use or situation I was reprimanded for my inappropriate behaviour.

inaugural

inaugural. adjective: having to do with a formal beginning The president's inaugural speech was a great success.

inconceivable

inconceivable. adjective: unimaginable or incredible Twenty years ago it would have been inconceivable that people would equip new houses with water tanks.

inconsiderable

inconsiderable

iridescent

iridescent. adjective: displaying colours like those of the rainbow The trapeze artists looked dazzling in their iridescent costumes.

inapproachable

inapproachable. adjective: free from blame The police questioned the suspect but found his behaviour had been irreproachable.

juggernaut

juggernaut. noun: any large, destructive force The juggernaut of army tanks moved towards the battleline.

jurisdiction

jurisdiction. noun: the authority to make a judgement The industrial court does not have jurisdiction to decide on that kind of dispute.

karaoke

karaoke. noun: singing along to a video and the background music of a song There's a good Japanese restaurant close by that has karaoke on Saturday nights.

liaison

liaison. noun: a connection or communication between people or groups The council works in liaison with local bush regeneration groups.

maintenance

maintenance. noun: the act of keeping something in good condition The maintenance of his motorbike took up much of his time.

malevolent

malevolent. adjective: full of wickedness and hatred The film star was stunned by the vicious campaign of malevolent gossip about her.

mediocre

mediocre. adjective: neither good nor bad My report said that I'd passed but my work was mediocre and I could do better.

meningitis

meningitis. noun: a disease which causes the lining of the brain to swell up Mum was worried that my flu might be something more serious like meningitis, so took me to the doctor to make sure.

mezzanine

mezzanine. noun: a floor in a building like a balcony, usually between the ground floor and the next The women's clothing department is located on the mezzanine.

millennium

millennium. noun: a period of 1000 years I wonder what the world will look like by the time we reach the next millennium?

narcissus

narcissus. noun: a type of cup-shaped flower Pinned to her lapel was a single narcissus.

negotiation

negotiation. noun: the discussion and arrangement of some kind of agreement The workers and their employer settled the dispute by negotiation.

neuralgia

neuralgia. noun: a pain along a nerve The sharp pains from her neuralgia were worse when she stood for too long.

palazzo

palazzo. noun: a palace or large building We visited a beautiful palazzo during our holiday in Rome.

paparazzi

paparazzi. plural noun: press photographers who persistently seek celebrities in order to photograph them Most celebrities hate their privacy being invaded by the paparazzi.

paradigm

paradigm. noun: a typical pattern or example Canberra is considered by many to be the paradigm of a planned city.

permissible

permissible. adjective: allowed or authorised Surfing the internet is only permissible once all our homework is completed.

pharmaceutical

pharmaceutical. adjective: relating to the preparation of drugs used in medicine The pharmaceutical company is about to release a new asthma medication.

phoenix

phoenix. noun: a mythical bird of great beauty, said to burn on a funeral pyre and then to rise up young again In the story, the phoenix rises from the ashes and begins life anew.

planetarium

planetarium. noun: a domed building where images of stars, planets and constellations are projected onto the ceiling I enjoyed the trip to the planetarium so much that I set up my telescope when I got home.