Level: C1
Advanced Spelling Bee Word List
Advanced spelling bee words, each with a short definition — challenging vocabulary for higher-level contests and serious competition practice.
- Abaciscus – is a small abacus.
- Abatjour – is a device, as a skylight, for diverting light into buildings.
- Abattoir – is a slaughterhouse.
- Abecedarian – is a person who is learning the letters of the alphabet.
- Abeyant – means temporarily suspended.
- Absorbefacient – means causing absorption.
- Acaulescent – means either stemless or without a visible stem.
- Accoucheur – is a person who assists during childbirth.
- Acquiesce – means to comply or submit.
- Aerogramme – is a pre-stamped, lightweight paper that folds into its own envelope.
- Affenpinscher – is a breed of dog with wiry hair.
- Afrikaans – is an official language of South Africa.
- Ageusia – is the loss of the sense of taste.
- Albescent – means to become whitish.
- Alette – (ahleet) is a small wing of a building.
- Amethyst – is a purple quartz, used as a gem.
- Amphitheater – is an oval or round building with an open central area.
- Ampullaceous – means bottle-shaped.
- Anathematize – means to denounce or to curse.
- Androgynous – means being both male and female.
- Ankh – is an Egyptian cross used as a symbol of enduring life.
- Anopheles – is a malaria-causing mosquito.
- Apartheid – a rigid policy of segregation in South Africa.
- Appaloosa – is a hardy breed of riding horse.
- Aqueous – is of or pertaining to water, watery.
- Armoire – is a large wardrobe or movable cupboard.
- Arrhythmia – is any interruption in the heartbeat.
- Ascetic – is a person who practices self-denial for religious reasons.
- Aurochs – is a black European wild ox, extinct since 1627.
- Autocephalous – is a bishop subordinate to no superior authority.
- Avuncular – pertains to an uncle.
- Azimuth – is the angle of horizontal deviation of a bearing from a standard direction.
- Babiche – is a thong used in making snowshoes.
- Bacchanal – is a drunken revelry.
- Bacciferous – means bearing or producing berries.
- Badinage – is light, playful banter.
- Bagatelle – is something of little value.
- Bagheera – is a velvet used to make evening wear and wraps.
- Baize – is a felt used on tops of billiard tables.
- Baksheesh – is a tip or gratuity used in the Middle East.
- Banquette – is a long bench with an upholstered seat.
- Bassarisk – is a carnivorous mammal.
- Bdellium – is a resin obtained from plants (dellium).
- Bellwether – is someone who assumes leadership.
- Beneficence – is the doing of good.
- Beriberi – is a disease caused by a vitamin B1 deficiency.
- Beryllium – is a hard, light metallic element.
- Bight – is the middle part of a rope.
- Bludgeon – is a short, heavy club with one heavier end.
- Boudoir – is a woman's private sitting room.
- Bouffant – means puffed out, as in a teased hairdo.
- Brooch – is a clasp or ornament.
- Bucolic – is of or pertaining to shepherds.
- Bumbershoot – is a name for an umbrella.
- Cacophony – is a harsh discordance of sound.
- Caique – is a single-masted sailing vessel (Mediterranean).
- Caliph – is a spiritual leader of Islam.
- Cantle – is the hind part of a saddle.
- Carillon – is a set of bells sounded by manual or pedal action.
- Carrefour – (carrefoor) is a crossroads, a road junction.
- Cartouche – a surface for receiving a painted decoration.
- Casque – is an open conical helmet with a nose guard (medieval).
- Catafalque – is a raised structure on which the body of a dead person lies.
- Catarrh – an inflammation of a mucous membrane.
- Caterwaul – is to utter long wailing cries, as a cat.
- Cauterize – is to burn for curative purposes.
- Cayuse – is an Indian pony.
- Ceraceous – is waxlike or waxy.
- Chancre – is the initial lesion of infectious diseases.
- Chattel – is a movable item of personal property.
- Chlorofluorocarbon – is a substance blamed for the hole in the ozone layer.
- Cirrhosis – is a disease of the liver.
- Claque – a group of people hired to applaud an act or performer.
- Colonnade – a series of regularly spaced columns.
- Contemn – means to treat with disdain or scorn.
- Continuum – is a continuous extent, series or whole.
- Convivial – means friendly or agreeable.
- Copacetic – means fine, completely satisfactory.
- Corporeity – is materiality.
- Cuirass – (kwirass) is defensive armor for the torso.
- Culottes – are women's trousers, usually knee or calf-length.
- Dahlia – is a flower.
- Daguerreotype – is an obsolete photographic process.
- Deign – to think fit or to condescend.
- Demagoguery – are methods or practices of a demagogue.
- Demesne – is possession of land as one's own.
- Demitasse – is a small cup for serving strong black coffee.
- Desiccate – is to dry thoroughly.
- Dhow – is a sailing vessel used by Arabs.
- Diaphanous – means very sheer and light.
- Dilettante – is a person who takes up an occupation as an amusement.
- Dinghy – is a small boat designed as a lifeboat.
- Dispossess – is to put a person out of a possession, esp. property.
- Dormouse – is a small rodent resembling a small squirrel.
- Doubloon – is a former gold coin of Spain.
- Dysentery – is an infectious disease.
- Ecru – is a very light brown.
- Edelweiss – is a small plant growing in the Alps.
- Egregious – is extraordinary in some bad way.
- Emphysema – is an irreversible disease of the lungs.
- Ephemeral – is lasting a very short time.
- Epiphany – is a Christian festival.
- Equestrienne – is a woman who rides horses.
- Ersatz – means serving as a substitute.
- Escutcheon – is a shield on which a coat of arms is depicted.
- Euchre – is a game of cards.
- Eviscerate – is to disembowel.
- Exsiccate – is to remove the moisture from.
- Facetious – means not to be taken seriously.
- Fasciation – is the act of bandaging.
- Fiefdom – is the estate of a feudal lord.
- Finagle – is to cheat or swindle someone.
- Fizgig – is a firework that makes a hissing sound.
- Flaccid – means soft and limp.
- Fluxion – is an act of flowing.
- Formaldehyde – is a colorless, toxic gas.
- Frankincense – is an aromatic gum resin used as incense.
- Fricassee – is meat browned, stewed and served in its own sauce.
- Frieze – is a decorative band on an outside wall.
- Fulsome – means offensive to good taste.
- Fusillade – is a simultaneous discharge of firearms.
- Gabardine – is a firm, tightly woven fabric.
- Gallimaufry – is a hodgepodge, a jumble.
- Garrote – is a method of capital punishment.
- Gesundheit – is used to wish good health after a sneeze.
- Gewgaw – is a trinket or bauble.
- Ghillie – is a low-cut, tongueless shoe.
- Glaucescent – means becoming a light bluish-green.
- Glyph – is a pictograph or hieroglyph.
- Gneiss – is a metamorphic rock.
- Gnome – is a small being that guards the interior treasures of earth.
- Gnosis – is knowledge of spiritual matters.
- Godet – is a triangular piece of fabric inserted to give fullness.
- Golliwogg – is a grotesque person.
- Grandiloquence – is a speech that is lofty, often to being pompous.
- Guillemot – is a seabird of Northern waters.
- Gyve – is a shackle for the leg.
- Habiliments – is clothing.
- Hackamore – is a simple, looped bridle for a horse.
- Halcyon – means calm or peaceful.
- Halophyte – is a plant that thrives in saline soil.
- Handbreadth – is a unit of linear measure.
- Hartebeest – is a large African antelope.
- Hegemony – is leadership or predominant influence by one nation.
- Hematozoon – is a parasitic protozoan that lives in the blood.
- Herbage – (erbij) nonwoody vegetation.
- Hierarchy – is a system of things ranked above each other.
- Hieroglyphic – is the pictograph type of script used by Egypt.
- Hirsute – is hairy or shaggy.
- Histrionic – is of or pertaining to actors or acting.
- Hoatzin – is a blue-faced bird of the Amazon forests.
- Hootenanny – is a social gathering featuring folk singing.
- Horripilation – is also known as goose flesh or goose bumps.
- Howdah – is a seat placed on the back of an elephant.
- Hoyden – is another name for a tomboy.
- Hydrangea – is a plant with showy flower clusters.
- Hydrofluoric – is of or derived from hydrofluoric acid.
- Hyena – is a doglike carnivore of Africa.
- Hyperpyrexia – is an abnormally high fever.
- Hypnotize – is to put into the hypnotic state.
- Hypotenuse – is the side of a right triangle opposite the right angle.
- Ichneumon – (iknoomen) is also called the African mongoose.
- Ichthyophagist – is a person who subsists on fish.
- Idiosyncrasy – is a characteristic or habit peculiar to an individual, incident, or the like.
- Impeccable – is faultless or flawless.
- Imprecise – means not precise or exact.
- Incise – (insize) means to cut into.
- Indubitable – is something that can't be doubted.
- Inexorable – is unyielding or unalterable.
- Ingurgitate – is to swallow greedily.
- Iniquitous – is wicked, sinful.
- Innuendo – is an indirect intimation about a person or thing, usually of a derogatory nature.
- Inscrutable – is incapable of being investigated or analyzed.
- Insomnolence – is sleeplessness.
- Intermezzo – is a short musical entertainment, between the acts of a drama or opera.
- Interregnum – is the time between the close of reign and the beginning of the next.
- Intransigent – is refusing to agree or compromise.
- Inveigle – is to entice by flattery or artful talk.
- Inveigh – is to protest strongly or attack vehemently with words.
- Irascible – is easily provoked to anger.
- Jalousie – is a window made of glass slats.
- Jambalaya – is a dish of Creole origin.
- Jocose – is given to joking or jesting.
- Juvenescent – is being youthful; young.
- Kepi – is a French military cap.
- Kinkajou – is an arboreal animal of Central and South America.
- Klaxon – is a loud, electric horn.
- Klieg – is a powerful type of arc light once used in the movies.
- Kowtow – is to show servile deference.
- Lacerate – is to tear roughly; mangle.
- Lachrymal – is of or pertaining to tears.
- Languid – is lacking in vigor or vitality.
- Layette – is an outfit of clothing or bedding for a newborn baby.
- Legerdemain – is sleight of hand or trickery.
- Licit – is legal or lawful.
- Limn – is to represent in drawing or painting.
- Locus – is a place or a locality.
- Loquacious – is talking or tending to talk too freely.
- Lucent – means shining.
- Lynx – is a wildcat of Canada and the northern U.S.
- Macaque – is a monkey, characterized by cheek pouches and short tail.
- Maelstrom – is a large, powerful, or violent whirlpool.
- Manatee – is an aquatic mammal of coastal waters, with 2 front flippers and a broad, spoon-shaped tail.
- Maraud – is to make a raid for booty.
- Marionette – is a puppet manipulated from above by strings.
- Marten – is an animal of northern forests.
- Mastiff – is a large, powerful, short-haired dog.
- Matriarch – is the female head of a tribal or family line.
- Mellifluous – is sweetly or smoothly flowing.
- Menace – is something that threatens to cause harm or evil.
- Mendacious – is telling lies, especially habitually.
- Meringue – is a topping for pies, pastry, etc.
- Mesmerize – is to hypnotize.
- Metamorphose – is to change the form or nature of, to transform.
- Meticulous – is taking extreme care about tiny details.
- Mezzanine – is the lowest balcony in a theater.
- Microcosm – is a world in miniature.
- Millennium – is a period of 1,000 years.
- Mnemonic – is assisting or intended to assist the memory.
- Mocha – is a choice variety of coffee.
- Monocoque – is a type of aircraft in which the shell carries most of the stresses.
- Morass – is a tract or low, soft, wet ground.
- Morose – is gloomy or sullenly ill-humored.
- Mote – is a small particle, as in dust.
- Mottle – is a diversifying spot or blotch of color.
- Mufti – are civilian clothes.
- Multiplicand – is a number to be multiplied by another.
- Munificent – means one who is very generous.
- Myrrh – is an aromatic resinous exudation from certain plants.
- Naphtha – (naftha) is a colorless, volatile petroleum distillate.
- Narcissism – is excessive self-love; vanity.
- Nascent – is beginning to exist or develop.
- Nebulous – is hazy, vague or indistinct.
- Neigh – is to utter the cry of a horse; to whinny.
- Nemesis – is something a person can't conquer.
- Newt – is a brilliantly colored salamander.
- Nexus – is a means of connection; a tie; a link.
- Niche – is an ornamental recess in a wall.
- Nigh – means near in space, time or relation.
- Nihilism – is total rejection of established laws and institutions.
- Nonce – is the present, or immediate, occasion or purpose.
- Nouveau – is newly or recently created, developed, or come to prominence.
- Obeisance – is a bow or a curtsy.
- Objurgate – is to denounce vehemently; to upbraid sharply.
- Obloquy – is abusive language aimed at a person.
- Obsequious – showing servile deference; fawning on someone.
- Obstreperous – means unruly.
- Occlude – is to close, shut, or stop up.
- Oleaginous – means having the nature or qualities of oil.
- Omniscience – is infinite knowledge.
- Onerous – is burdensome or troublesome.
- Opalesce – is to exhibit a play of colors like that of the opal.
- Opprobrious – is outrageously disgraceful or shameful.
- Ostracism – is exclusion from social acceptance.
- Oxymoron – is a seemingly contradictory figure of speech, like cruel kindness.
- Pachyderm – is an elephant.
- Paean – is a song of praise, joy or triumph.
- Panacea – is a remedy for all disease or ills.
- Panache – is a grand or flamboyant manner.
- Panegyric – is a lofty oration in praise of a person or thing.
- Panoply – is a wide-ranging and impressive array or display.
- Papyrus – is a tall, aquatic plant, native to the Nile valley.
- Pariah – is an outcast.
- Parlance – is a way or manner of speaking.
- Parry – is to ward off a thrust, as in fencing.
- Parsec – is a unit of distance equal to 3.26 light-years.
- Patella – is the kneecap.
- Peccadillo – is a very minor or slight sin or offense.
- Peccary – is a piglike hoofed animal of north and south America.
- Peignoir – is a woman's dressing gown.
- Pendulous – is hanging down loosely.
- Penultimate – the next to the last.
- Penury – is extreme poverty.
- Perfidy – is a deliberate breach of trust; treachery.
- Perihelion – is the point at which a planet is closest to the sun.
- Pernicious – means ruinous; injurious; hurtful.
- Perquisite – is a gratuity or tip.
- Perspicuous – is clearly expressed or presented.
- Pestle – is a tool to grind substances in a mortar.
- Pharmaceutical – pertains to pharmacy or pharmacists.
- Phlegmatic – is not easily excited to action.
- Pique – is to affect with sharp irritation.
- Piranha – is a small South American fish that eat fish, animals and sometimes attack humans.
- Pirogue – is an American boat, a dugout.
- Pirouette – is a whirling about on one foot or on the points of the toes, as in ballet dancing.
- Plagiarize – is to take ideas and works of another and pass it off as one's own.
- Platypus – is a small, egg-laying animal of Australia.
- Plebeian – is belonging or pertaining to the common people.
- Plebiscite – is a direct vote of the voters of a state in regard to some important public question.
- Polychrome – is being of many or various colors.
- Posit – is to place, put or set.
- Precocious – is prematurely developed.
- Precursor – is a person or thing that precedes.
- Prescience – is knowledge of things before they exist or happen.
- Propitious – means favorable.
- Psilosis – means a falling out of the hair.
- Psoriasis – is a common skin disease.
- Ptosis – is a drooping of the upper eyelid.
- Pulchritude – is physical beauty; comeliness.
- Pyrrhic – is consisting of two short or unaccented syllables.
- Quadriceps – is a large muscle in front of the thigh.
- Quadrille – is a square dance for four couples.
- Quay – is a landing place along a body of water.
- Querulous – means full of complaints.
- Quiescent – is being at rest; quiet; inactive.
- Quinella – is a type of bet on horse races.
- Quirt – is a riding whip.
- Quoin – is the external solid angle of a wall.
- Quotidian – means daily.
- Rapier – is a small sword, used for thrusting.
- Rappel – is the way to move down a surface in mountaineering.
- Rarefy – is to make rare or rarer.
- Raucous – is harsh or strident.
- Ravenous – means extremely hungry.
- Recalcitrant – means resisting authority.
- Redoubtable – is that that is to be feared; formidable.
- Regurgitate – is to surge or rush back.
- Reparable – is capable of being repaired.
- Repartee – is a quick, witty reply.
- Repugn – is to oppose or refute.
- Reticent – is someone disposed to be silent or not to speak freely.
- Reveille – is a signal to alert military personal to arise.
- Rheumatism – is a disorder of the extremities or back, characterized by stiffness.
- Rhinoceros – is a large African animal.
- Ricochet – is the motion of an object after deflecting from another object.
- Riposte – is a quick, sharp return in speech or action.
- Rococo – is a style of architecture and decoration.
- Rogue – is a dishonest person, a scoundrel.
- Roil – is to disturb or disquiet.
- Roseate – is tinged with rose; rosy.
- Rough – is having a coarse or uneven surface.
- Rouse – is to bring out of a state of sleep.
- Ruse – is a trick.
- Saboteur – is a person who commits sabotage.
- Saccharin – is a sweetener.
- Sacroiliac – is the joint where the sacrum and ilium meet.
- Sacrosanct – is extremely sacred or inviolable.
- Sagacious – showing acute mental discernment, or being shrewd.
- Saguaro – is a tall, horizontally branched cactus.
- Salaam – is a salutation meaning peace, especially in Islamic countries.
- Sanguinary – means full of bloodshed, bloody.
- Sarsaparilla – is a soft drink made from the extract of a root.
- Satiate – is to supply something to excess.
- Satyr – is a mythological character, half human and half goat or horse.
- Schiffli – is a large, loomlike machine for working patterns in lace.
- Schism – is division or disunion.
- Schlock – means cheap or trashy.
- Schuss – is a straight downhill run at high speed, skiing.
- Scimitar – is a curved, single-edged sword.
- Scintillate – is to emit sparks.
- Scorpioid – is resembling a scorpion.
- Scrimshaw – is a carved article, especially of whale ivory.
- Scrivener – is a scribe.
- Scythe – is an implement used to cut grass or grain by hand.
- Sebaceous – means fatty.
- Secede – is to withdraw formally from an alliance.
- Sedulous – means persevering.
- Segue – (segway) means to continue at once with the next musical composition.
- Seismicity – is the frequency of earthquakes in a given area.
- Seneschal – is an officer having full charge of domestic arrangements.
- Sentient – means conscious.
- Septuagenarian – is between 70 and 80 years of age.
- Sequacious – means following with smooth or logical regularity.
- Sequester – is to remove or withdraw into solitude or retirement.
- Serendipity – means good fortune or luck.
- Serge – is a twilled fabric used for clothing.
- Serrate – is notched on the edge like a saw.
- Setaceous – is bristlelike.
- Severance – is the act of severing or the state of being severed.
- Sexton – is a church official charged with taking care of the edifice and its contents.
- Sheaf – is a bundle of wheat, rye, etc.
- Shoal – is a place where a body of water is shallow.
- Sibyl – is a female prophet or witch.
- Sieve – is an instrument with a meshed bottom, used to separate materials.
- Skein – is a length of yarn wound on a reel for use in manufacturing
- Skink – is a lizard common in both the Old and New worlds.
- Sleazy – means contemptibly low or disreputable.
- Sloe – is the small, sour fruit of the blackthorn.
- Sluice – is an artificial channel for conducting water.
- Solecism – is a nonstandard or ungrammatical usage.
- Soliloquy – is a discourse by a person who is talking to himself.
- Sorcerer – is a person who practices black magic.
- Sorghum – is a cereal grass.
- Speciesism – is discrimination in favor of one species over another.
- Specious – is apparently good or right though lacking real merit.
- Sphinx – is a figure of a creature having the head of a man or animal and the body of a lion.
- Spinet – is a small upright piano.
- Squalor – is filth or misery.
- Squeegee – is an implement edged with rubber to remove water from windows or floors.
- Staid – means of settled character, not flighty.
- Stanchion – is an upright bar as in a window or stall.
- Stiletto – is a short dagger with a thick blade.
- Strafe – is to attack by airplanes with machine-gun fire.
- Strontium – is a strong, metallic element.
- Strychnine – is a colorless, crystalline poison.
- Sturgeon – is a large fish, valued as a source of caviar.
- Subcutaneous – means lying under the skin, as tissue.
- Submersible – is that which is capable of being submerged.
- Suffrutescent – is partially or slightly woody.
- Surcease – is to cease from some action; desist.
- Surfeit – means excess; an excessive amount.
- Suzerain – is a state exercising political control over a dependent state.
- Svelte – is gracefully slender; lithe.
- Sycamore – is a North American tree.
- Sycophancy – is self-seeking or servile flattery.
- Sylph – is a slender, graceful woman or girl.
- Syncopate – is to place accents on beats in music normally not accented.
- Tabasco – is a trademark name for a condiment sauce.
- Tachymeter – is an instrument to rapidly determine distances.
- Taciturn – means inclined to silence.
- Tactician – is a person who is adept at planning tactics.
- Taffeta – is a medium- or light-weight fabric.
- Talisman – is an object that is supposed to possess powers.
- Tallow – is the fatty tissue of animals.
- Talon – is the claw of a bird of prey.
- Tamarind – is the pod of a large tropical tree.
- Tamburitza – is a mandolinlike instrument of southern Slavic regions.
- Tanager – is a songbird found in North America.
- Tankard – is a large drinking cup.
- Tapir – is a three-toed animal resembling a pig in Central and South America.
- Tarantella – is a rapid, whirling Italian dance.
- Tarantula – is a large, hairy spider.
- Tariff – is a list showing duties imposed on imports or exports.
- Tarot – is a card used for fortunetelling.
- Tarry – is to remain or stay awhile.
- Taupe – (tohp) is a brownish gray.
- Taut – means tightly drawn.
- Taw – is a fancy marble used as a shooter.
- Tawny – is a shade of brown tinged with yellow.
- Taxable – means capable of being taxed.
- Teak – is a large East Indian tree.
- Tempestuous – means tumultuous or turbulent.
- Tenacious – means holding fast.
- Tenement – is a rundown, often overcrowded apartment house.
- Tenet – is a principle, doctrine or dogma.
- Tequila – is a strong liquor from Mexico.
- Termagant – is a violent or brawling woman.
- Tern – is an aquatic bird.
- Terrarium – is a container for land animals.
- Tertiary – is of the third order.
- Testatrix – is a woman who makes a will.
- Tetrabrach – is a word of four short syllables.
- Thalassic – is of or pertaining to seas or oceans.
- Thence – means from that place.
- Theocracy – is a form of government in which a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler.
- Therapeutics – is the branch of medicine concerned with the remedial treatment of disease.
- Thoracic – is of or pertaining to the thorax.
- Thought – is the product of mental activity.
- Thrall – is one who is in bondage; slave.
- Threshold – is the sill of a doorway.
- Tiara – is a jeweled coronet worn by women.
- Timbre – is the characteristic quality of a sound.
- Tinct – is to tinge or tint, as with color.
- Titillate – is to excite agreeably.
- Tizzy – is a nervous or agitated state.
- Tofu – is a bland, cheeselike food, high in protein content.
- Tome – is a large, heavy book.
- Toque – is a brimless and close-fitting hat for women.
- Tortoise – is a turtle, especially a land turtle.
- Tortuous – means full of twists or turns.
- Toucan – is a large-billed, brightly colored bird.
- Toupee – is a man's wig.
- Tourniquet – is a device for arresting bleeding.
- Traduce – means to slander or defame.
- Traipse – is to walk or go aimlessly or idly.
- Travois – is a transporting device pulled by an animal.
- Treacle – is contrived sentimentality.
- Triskaidekaphobia – is a fear of the number 13.
- Troglodyte – is a prehistoric cave dweller.
- Troika – is a team of 3 horses driven abreast.
- Trousseau – is clothing, linen, especially for a bride.
- Truculent – is fierce or savagely brutal.
- Truncheon – is a club carried by a police officer.
- Tryst – is an appointment to meet at a certain time and place.
- Tumescent – means swelling.
- Ubiquitous – means omnipresent or being everywhere at the same time.
- Umlaut – is a mark used over a vowel.
- Unconscionable – means unscrupulous or not guided by conscience.
- Unrequited – is not returned or reciprocated.
- Unwonted – is not customary or usual or rare.
- Vacillate – means to waver in opinion.
- Vacuous – means empty.
- Variscite – is a secondary mineral.
- Ventriloquism – means throwing the voice.
- Verisimilitude – means the appearance of truth.
- Vertebrae – are bones composing the spinal column.
- Vertiginous – means whirling or spinning.
- Vexillology – means the study of flags.
- Vicissitude – means a change in the course of things.
- Villein – was an almost free person in the middle ages.
- Virescent – means turning green.
- Viscera – are the organs in the abdominal cavity.
- Viscid – means sticky.
- Vociferous – is crying out noisily.
- Vorticity – is a measure of the circulation of a fluid.
- Waterborne – is floating or moving on water.
- Whet – is to sharpen by grinding or friction.
- Whippoorwill – is a nocturnal North American bird.
- Widgeon – is a common, freshwater duck.
- Wildebeest – is a gnu.
- Wok – is a pan used in cooking Chinese food.
- Wraith – is a visible spirit.
- Xenophobe – is a person who fears or hates foreigners.
- Xyster – is a surgical instrument for scraping bones.
- Xylose – is a colorless crystalline sugar.
- Yttrium – is a rare metallic element.
- Yurt – is a tentlike dwelling of the Mongols.
- Zephyr – is a gentle breeze.
- Zinciferous – means yielding or containing zinc.
- Zoanthropy – (zoo) is a mental disorder in which one believes oneself to be an animal.
- Zoopraxiscope – is an early motion projector.
- Zucchetto – is a skullcap worn by Roman Catholic ecclesiastics.