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taper
n.
5ME < OE tapur, prob. by dissimilation < L papyrus (see PAPER): from use of papyrus pith as wick6
1 a wax candle, esp. a long, slender one
2 a long wick coated with wax, used for lighting candles, lamps, etc.
3 any feeble light
4 a) a gradual decrease in width or thickness !the taper of a pyramid" b) a gradual decrease in action, power, etc.
5 something that tapers
adj.
gradually decreased in breadth or thickness toward one end
vt., vi.
1 to decrease gradually in width or thickness
2 to lessen; diminish
Notice that the meaning of a cylinder with diminishing diameter is a figure of speech. Candles used to be made by repeatedly dipping a wick into melted was, allowing it to cool between dips. Top part would have more time to cool, and so would become thicker.
Notice also the dandy word “dissimulation” in the etymology
The spelleng bee list actually had “taperer” - a rather useless word.
tapeworm - a segmented intestinal parasite with appearance suggesting a tape measure
tapissier - a weaver if tapestries
tarboosh
n.
5Ar Parbdsh6 a brimless cap of cloth or felt shaped like a truncated cone, worn by Muslim men, sometimes as the inner part of a turban
targhee - Targhee National Forest, and applied to many items for sale
tarry
tarsier
n.
5Fr, so named by BUFFON < tarse, TARSUS, from the foot structure6 any of a family (Tarsiidae) of small primates of the East Indies and the Philippines, with very large, gogglelike eyes, and a long, tufted tail: tarsiers live in trees, are active at night, and feed esp. on lizards and insects
tartar
n.
5ME < ML tartarum < MGr tartaron < ?6
1 cream of tartar, esp. the crude form present in grape juice and forming a reddish or whitish, crustlike deposit (argol) in wine casks
2 a hard deposit on the teeth, consisting of saliva proteins, food deposits, various salts, as calcium phosphate, etc.; dental calculus
The spelling bee list actually had “tattareous” How in hell would contestant know whether ending was “eous” or “ious”?
tartarly
tartartrazine - some stupid organic compound
. Tasajillo is a thicket-forming cactus that stands from about 1/2 to 6 1/2 feet tall. The trunk measures 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter. ...
taskmaster,tasteful
tatouay. ... Definition for tatouay. tatouay (noun) -. 1. naked-tailed armadillo of tropical South America Synonyms: cabassous, Cabassous unicinctus. ...
tatters, Taurus (that’s a lot of bull), tautness,
tautomerism
n.
5< TAUTO3 + Gr meros, a part + 3ISM6 Chem. the property of some substances of being in a condition of equilibrium between two isomeric forms and of reacting readily to form either
tau[to[mer[ic 7tC#t! mer4ik8
adj.
tawniness, taxidermist, taxidermy
taxonomy
n.,
pl. 3mies 5Fr taxonomie < Gr taxis (see TAXIS) + nomos, law (see 3NOMY)6
1 the science of classification; laws and principles covering the classifying of objects
2 Biol. a system of arranging animals and plants into natural, related groups based on some factor common to each, as structure, embryology, or biochemistry: the basic taxa now in use are, in descending order from most inclusive, kingdom, phylum (in botany, division), class, order, family, genus, and species
tax#o[nom$ic 73! n9m4ik8
adj.
tax#o[nom$i[cal[ly
adv.
tax[on$o[mist
n.
taxophily - search found only the spelling bee list, and Yahhoo asked ;me if I meant :toxophily” which is the fondness for the sport of archery
tchaviche - again search found only spelling bee site
teacher
teasel
n.
5ME tasel < OE t+sel < base of t+san, to TEASE6
1 any of a genus (Dipsacus) of bristly plants of the teasel family, with prickly, cylindrical heads of yellowish or purplish flowers, esp. the fuller‘s teasel (D. fullonum) with flower heads having sharp, spinelike bracts
2 a flower head of the fuller‘s teasel, used when dried for raising a nap on cloth
3 any device for raising a nap on cloth
adj.
designating a family (Dipsacaceae, order Dipsacales) of dicotyledonous plants bearing dense flower heads covered with stiff bracts, including scabiosa and teasel
vt.
3seled or 3selled, 3sel[ing or 3sel[ling to raise a nap on (cloth) by means of teasels
tea4sel[er or tea4sel[ler
n.
technetium
n.
5ModL < Gr technctos, artificial ( technasthai, to contrive by art < technc: see TECHNIC) + 3IUM: so named (1947) by E. G. Segr= (1905-89), It-American physicist, and C. Perrier, It physicist, who discovered it (1937)6 a silver-gray, metallic chemical element obtained by the irradiation of molybdenum with deuterons and in the fission of uranium: it does not exist in nature and all its isotopes are radioactive: it is a superconductor, an inhibitor of metal corrosion, and a medical tracer: symbol, Tc; at. wt., 98.906; at. no., 43; sp. gr., 11.5; melt. pt., 2,172UC; boil. pt., 4,877UC
technocrat - a person allegedly too enthusiastic about the benefits of technology
technophobic - a person fearful of undesirable side effects of technology
techtiform
Stonehedge, Plains of Salisbury 1-19. Terms and Names Mesolithic. Paleolithic. Neolithic. techtiform. sympathetic magic. menhir. dolmen. cromlech. post and lintel.
teem 1
vi.
5ME temen < OE tieman, to produce, bear < base of team, progeny: see TEAM6
1 orig., to produce offspring; bear
2 to be full, as though ready to bring forth young; abound; swarm !a river teeming with fish"
teem 2
vt.
5ME temen < ON t,ma, to empty6 to empty; pour out
vi.
to pour !a teeming rain"
teething, teethless,
TelAutograph
5< TEL(E)3 + AUTOGRAPH6 trademark for an apparatus for transmitting writing, pictures, etc.: it produces facsimiles at the receiving end by means of an electrically controlled pen that makes the same motions as the transmitting pen
n.
this apparatus: written tel[au4to[graph#
telecast, telegrphy,
telemark
n.
5after Telemark, region in S Norway6 Skiing a slow turning movement in which the outer ski is advanced and turned in at a widening angle until the turn is accomplished
telencephalon, teleological, teleology, telepathic, telepathicallly, televangelist
telestich or telestic
n.
5< Gr telos, an end (see TELO32) + stichos, a line (see STICH), modeled on ACROSTIC6 an acrostic in which the last letters of the lines spell a word or words when taken in order
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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In these contests how do they differentiate between homophones? If they wanted teem and the entrant gave t-e-a-m, how could they say it was wrong?
Bingley
Bingley
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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They give definitions and language origins. The latter definitely on request, and the former also on request, I think. Some of the contestants have the art of stalling for time down pat.
"Are there any other pronunciations?"
"Are there any other definitions?"
"Could you pronounce that again?"
"Could you give me the definition again?"
ad infinitum
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
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Dear Faldage: shouldn't a smart contestant say:"please give the definition"? (etc.)
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
My uncertainty about giving the definitions was whether it (or they) was (or were) given without being asked for.
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