An intruding rose has stolen a nest among the ~s of the vine.
– J. P. Kennedy (credit OED for quote)

quote:

Originally posted by wordcrafter:
Have you seen the current movie Akeelah and the Bee, which I highly recommend? It follows the contestants in an extremely stressful, demanding competition, but not the sort of sport you would think of: the U.S. national spelling bee.

This week we'll look at words from this year's bee. Each day I'll give you the phonetic pronunciation, so that you can try your hand at spelling the word; the link given will reveal the actual spelling to you.

'plεksjŏŏę(r) – a plaiting or interweaving
[ε–dress; ŏŏ–foot; ę–another (schwa)]

An intruding rose has stolen a nest among the ~s of the vine.
– J. P. Kennedy (credit OED for quote)

My dear, you are a perfect ~.
– Thackery, Vanity Fair

quote:

Originally posted by wordcrafter:
If you have serendipity, what does one call the thing you find?

truvαy – a lucky find; a windfall; something interesting, amusing, or beneficial discovered by chance
[u–goose; α–palm; start]

My dear, you are a perfect ~.
– Thackery, Vanity Fair

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Spelling of yesterday's word: plexure – a plaiting or interweaving

Germany today is an uneasy vessel containing two im~ substances. When East met West four years ago, the two were at totally different stages of development. As a result, unification has proved to be a "collision under one roof."
– Thomas Kielinger, National Review, Oct. 24, 1994

quote:

Originally posted by wordcrafter:
missib'l – (of liquids) capable of being mixed together, in any proportion (In other words, like alcohol and water; not like oil and water.) The opposite is im~.

Germany today is an uneasy vessel containing two im~ substances. When East met West four years ago, the two were at totally different stages of development. As a result, unification has proved to be a "collision under one roof."
– Thomas Kielinger, National Review, Oct. 24, 1994

(Yesterday's word: trouvaille – a lucky find; a windfall)

Yet though I could never have been a scientist, I had scientific as well as imaginative impulses, and I loved ~ation.
– C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life

For such a superhuman being, ~ation was too tawdry and ordinary a matter. A Duce did not reason; he inspired
– R. J. B. Bosworth, Mussolini's Italy: Life Under the Fascist Dictatorship, 1915-1945

quote:

Originally posted by wordcrafter:
răsh' ē ŏs' * nāt' (rash ee OS uh nayt) – to reason methodically and logically
[*=schwa] [More often used in its –tion form.]

Yet though I could never have been a scientist, I had scientific as well as imaginative impulses, and I loved ~ation.

– C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life

For such a superhuman being, ~ation was too tawdry and ordinary a matter. A Duce did not reason; he inspired
– R. J. B. Bosworth, Mussolini's Italy: Life Under the Fascist Dictatorship, 1915-1945

(Yesterday's word: miscible – (of liquids) capable of being mixed together. Yesterday's word and today's are from the movie, not from the actual bee.)

Some leaves are ~, that is, pencil-like and round in cross-section …
– Alec Pridgeon, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids

Butter, as in all hot climates, is utterly vile: I should prefer the gr*-VEE-*l*nt palm-oil.
– Richard Francis Burton, Wanderings in West Africa

quote:

Originally posted by wordcrafter:
gr* VEE *l*nt – having a rank smell

seemεl-fæk-tivs are punctual events which have no result state.
– Robert D. Van Valin, Jr., Exploring the Syntax-Semantics Interface

quote:

Originally posted by wordcrafter:
Today's hard-to-spell word pertains to words, specifically to verbs. Click link for spelling.

seemεl-fæk-tiv – of a verb: expressing the sudden and single occurrence of an action, e.g. cough; sneeze; glimpse; flash; tap
[ε=dress; æ=trap, bath (U.S.)]

seemεl-fæk-tivs are punctual events which have no result state.
– Robert D. Van Valin, Jr., Exploring the Syntax-Semantics Interface

Yesterday's word: graveolent – having a rank smell)