Spelling Bee Presentation Words 1. Incantation - Noun- Latin Some cultures believe that ‘spell’ means ‘‘a form of magic words, incantation’’ and creates an idea that words have powers. 2. Boon- Noun- Middle English- voluntary help, given to a farmer by his neighbors, in time of harvest, haymaking. The origin of the word Bee can be traced back to boon, from the English dialect. 3. Entertainment- Noun- Latin - Bees would provide food and entertainment to reward the people helping. 4. Competitive- Adjective- Latin Bees could also be competitive to keep people working. 5. Elementary - Adjective- Latin- Early competitions used The Elementary Spelling Book to get their words, which by 1883 had sold more than 80 million copies. 6. Knitting- Noun- Middle English- By the 1820s, other bees began popping up like knitting bees due to increased popularity. 7. Matches- Noun- Greek - In the 1840s they were known as spelling matches. 8. Teaching- Noun- Old English - The spelling bee was used as a teaching device in American schools. 9. Erroneously – Adverb- Latin - Educators erroneously assumed that spelling indicated intellectual capacity 10. Competing – Verb- Latin - Students would spell out loud, competing for the honor of the best class speller. 11. Communities - Noun- Latin in the Midwest communities held spelling matches for evening entertainment. 12. Hoosier- Noun- American- In 1871 The Hoosier Schoolmaster was the first paper to print the term “spelling bee.”
13. Admission - Noun- Latin- in 1874 competitions started charging an admission fee for contestants, but handed out prizes. 14. Vaudeville- Noun- French- Some spelling bees ran as acts in Vaudeville shows. 15. Eastern - Adjective- Old English - Most of the ideas took place in the Eastern United States, but quickly spread to the West. 16. Fever - Noun- French- In 1875 a newspaper in Ohio had the headline “ The spelling fever is spreading rapidly” 17. Attenuated- Verb- Latin - The next month, a Californian newspaper ran, “ The spelling fever is playing bob with our pet phrases; ‘too diaphanously attenuated’ is now the substitute for ‘too thin.’” 18. Elocution - Noun- Latin- Schools began using bees as an elocution exercise for their students. 19. Pennsylvania- Noun- Welsh- In 1875 Bucks County located in Pennsylvania was the first recorded county to hold a spelling bee. 20. Mania - Noun- Greek - In 1876 a magazine uses the term spelling mania to describe the current status, and it says it has crossed the pond over to England. 21. Redefined- Verb- Latin - The popularity of spelling bees redefined the word bee to mean public competitions, like today’s geography bee. 22. Progressive – Adjective – French- The popularity of spelling bees declined when the progressive education movement caught fire. 23. Died- Verb- Old Norse - By 1878 the spelling bee craze had died down, and went back to being popular in a low key way. 24. Spelldown- Noun- American- Another term used for spelling bees was spelldown, used around 1900; based off ‘hoe - downs.’ 25. Louisville - Noun - American- The first national spelling bee occurred in Louisville Kentucky in 1925 26. Eight- Noun- Latin- There were eight contestants in the original spelling bee.
27. Gladiolus- Noun- Latin - The first winner won with the word Gladiolus. 28. Exception- Noun- Latin - Since 1925, there has always been a Scripps Spelling Bee, with the exception of 1943-1945 because of the war. 29. Scripps - Noun - American in 1941 Scripps Howard became the official sponsor of the spelling bee. 30. Broadcast- Verb – Old English It was first broadcast in 1946 on nbc 31. Euonym- Noun- Greek - In 1997 the first homeschooled champion won with the word, Euonym. 32. Akeelah- Proper Noun- Arabic - Movies like Akeelah and the Bee and Bee Season brought even more attention to the spelling bee craze. 33. Prime- Adjective- Latin- 2006 became the first time the winner was broadcast live in prime time. 34. Boycott- Verb- Irish - In 2010 Protestors boycotted the bee in order to put their message out there, which was to simplify spelling. 35. Million- Noun- Italian- Nine million students across the country participate in school and city spelling bees each year. 36. Qualify- Verb- Latin- Only 250 students qualify for nationals each year. 37. Dictionary- Noun- Latin- Words for the national spelling bee can be found in the Merriam Webster dictionary. 38. Thirty- Noun – Middle English - The cash prize for contestants is thirty thousand dollars. 39. Texas – Noun- Native American- Texas with Ohio have the most state champions with nine each. 40. Americana- Noun- American- Spelling Bees are considered ‘pure americana’ because we are the only country that really has them and make a big deal about them.
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