Ethiopian Spelling Bee School Wide

Word List for 5th to 8th Grade

1. Dispel (verb) clear away: some something go away.
2. Phrasing (noun) style of expressing: wording.
3. Coffee (noun) A drink made by infusion or decoction from the roasted and
grounded or pounded seeds of plants of the genus Coffea.
4. Dwindled (verb) became steadily less, diminished in size amount or quality.
5. Median (noun) a value that falls in the middle of a list of values arranged from smallest
to largest or which is the average of the two middle values if there is no one middle number.
6. Soprano (noun) the highest voice part in four-part harmony.
7. Tropical (adj.) or relating to, occurring in or used in the region near the
equator.
8. Catalog or Catalogue (noun) a pamphlet or book that contains a list of items arranged
systematically often with other related matter.
9. Lactose (noun) a type of sugar that is found in milk.
10. Diploma (noun) a document that records that a person has completed a course
or graduated from a school.
11. Smidge (noun) a small amount
12. Tarnish (verb) to become dull discolored or stained in appearance.
13. Fondant (noun) a creamy sugar preparation that is used as a basis for candies or
icings.
14. Cyberspace (noun) the online world of computer networks and the internet.
15. Prowess (noun) extraordinary ability: excellence.
16. Measly (adjective) contemptibly small.
17. Origin (noun) ancestry: parentage.
18. Trellis (noun) a frame made of crossing pieces of wood that is used as a
screen or as a support for climbing plants.
19. Autumn (noun) the season compromising the months of September, October
and November --- called also ‘fall’
20. Variety (noun) the quality or state of having numerous forms or types.
21. Moxie (noun) audacity: nerve.
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 22. Parable (noun) a short story that teaches a moral or religious lesson.
23. Chemistry (noun) a science that deals with the composition, structure and
properties of substances and transformations that they undergo.
24. Splurge (verb) to indulge in some unusual activity, expense, pleasure or luxury.
25. Balderdash (noun) nonsense: empty talk or discourse.
26. Hodgepodge (noun) a mixture or medley of different things.
27. Swollen (adjective) distended or puffed up, as by disease or injury.
28. Diagonal (adjective) running across from corner to corner.
29. Superlative (adj.) surpassing all others.
30. Macaw (noun) a large long tailed parrot that has bright, showy feathers and lives in
Central and South America.
31. Victorian (adj.) relating to or typical of the art, letters or taste during Queen
Victorian’s reign.

32. Fulfilling (verb) carrying out or accomplishing.

33. Columnist (noun) a person who writes a regular newspaper feature or conducts a
radio or television program similar to a feature.
34. Bewilder (verb) to confuse.
35. Hammock (noun) a swinging couch or bed usually made of netting or canvas and
hanging by cords from supports at each end.
36. Squander (verb) to spend extravagantly or foolishly: throw away.
37. Curfew (noun) the hour at which persons (such as juveniles, military personnel,
or other specified types) must be off the streets or at which businesses or places of assembly
must be closed.
38. Absurd (adj.) extremely silly, foolish or unreasonable: completely ridiculous.
39. Hoity-toity (adj.) affecting superiority: haughty and patronizing.
40. Whiff (noun) an inhalation of odor, smoke, gas or vapor.
41. Nurture (verb) to further the development of: promoted the growth of: foster.
42. Vicinity (noun) a surrounding area or district.
43. Wharf (noun) a structure built at the water’s shore so that ships can load and
unload cargo and passengers.
44. Eerily (adv.) mysteriously or weirdly.
45. Lavender (noun) a fragrant mint plant with narrow leaves and spikes of lilac-
purple flowers.
46. Gauze (noun) a loosely woven cotton fabric used to bandage wounds.
47. Mirthful (adj.) full of gladness or merriment.
48. Beret (noun) a soft flat has that is usually woolen and has no visor.
49. Evaporation (noun) the change by which a liquid is turned into a gas or a substance
that consists of very small drops mixed with the air.
50. Vigorously (adv.) forcefully, actively or energetically.
51. Tonic (noun) something that invigorates restores refreshes or stimulates.

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 52. Enlisted (adj.) of relating to for or constituting the part of a military or naval
force ranked below commissioned officers and warrant officers.
53. Tomes (P. noun) books that are often large or scholarly.
54. Levied (verb) imposed or collected (as a tax or tribute) by legal processor by
authority exacted.
55. Bookmobile (noun) a truck that serves as a traveling library.
56. Nursery (noun) a place designed for the care or training of children.
57. Shortage (noun) not enough of something that is required: deficit.
58. Precise (adj.) confirming strictly to an exact pattern or standard.
59. Roundabout (adj.) not following a straight line or course: curving, meandering, and
winding.
60. Handiwork (noun) work done personally: personal or individual achievement.
61. Balloonist (noun) someone who operates a bag that is filled with heated air or a
gas lighter than air so as to rise and float in the atmosphere and that is usually carries a
suspended load.
62. Improvise (verb) to compose, recite or sing especially in verse or to play on in
instrument or act without preparation.
63. Altitude (noun) the vertical elevation of an object above a given level (such as a
foundation, the ground or level.
64. Sparsely (adv.) in a thinly scattered manner; scantily.
65. Musician (noun) someone who is skilled at incorporating pleasing expressive or
intelligible combinations of vocal or instrumental tones into a structured continuous
composition.
66. Practically (adv.) in actual practice, or use. To all practical purposes though not
entirely or absolutely.
67. Testament (noun) a written document a person creates to declare their intent as
to the disposal of their estate and effects of their death will.
68. Stimulate (verb) to excite to activity or growth or to greater activity or exertion.
69. Disengage (verb) to free from a pledge or obligation.
70. Mohawk (noun) a hairstyle with a narrow center strip of upright hair and the
side of the head shaved.
71. Exterior (adj.) of or relating or suitable for use on outside surface.
72. Scenery (noun) the array of impressive natural prospects an imposing features
of particular place.
73. Opponent (noun) one that opposes; adversary, foe.
74. Allowance (noun) an amount of money that is given in reimbursement and is to be
used for personal or household expenses.
75. Committee (noun) a group of people delegated to consider investigate or act on
and usually to report on some matter or business.
76. Bulletin (noun) a brief public notice concerning a matter of marked current
interest and usually issuing from an authoritative source.
77. Hoarsely (adv.) in a rough or harsh sounding manner, gratingly.

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 78. Automated (verb) converted to operation by mechanical or electronic devices that
take the places of human labor.
79. Subdivision (noun) a tract of land surveyed and divided into lots for purposes of
sale.
80. Heralded (verb) greeted especially with enthusiasm, hailed.
81. Appointed (verb) assigned, designated or set apart by authority.
82. Regents (P. noun) people who govern kingdom when the sovereigns are not able
to govern because they are too young, ill or away.
83. Infraction (noun) violations by failure to follow, observe, or obey.
84. Pacific (adj.) of or relating to the ocean extending from western North
America.
85. Affirmation (noun) an act that confirms validates or asserts something as true; a
positive assertion.
86. Cipher or Cypher (noun) a method of transforming a text in order to conceal its meaning
by substituting or rearranging letters.
87. Administration (noun) performance of executive duties; management.
88. Geometry (noun) a branch of mathematics that deals with the measurement
properties and relationships of points, lines, angles, surfaces and solids.
89. Consecutive (adj.) one right after the other often with small intervening intervals.
90. Scavenger (noun) an organism that typically feeds on refuse or carrion.
91. Defensiveness (noun) the quality or state of having or showing a tendency to react
aggressively to any real or imagined criticism.
92. Vegetation (noun) plant life or total cover as of an area of forest or prairie.
93. Sconces (P. noun) ornamental electric light fixtures for a wall that look like a
bracket candlesticks or group of candlesticks.
94. Cyclops (noun) one of a race of giants in Greek mythology with a single eye in
the middle of the forehead.
95. Aerospace (adj.) of or relating to the earth’s atmosphere and beyond to vehicles
used in that region or the manufacture of such vehicles or to travel in the region.
96. Correctional (adj.) dealing with the treatment of offenders through a program
involving custody, parole and probation.
97. Segregation (noun) the separation of a group of people based on their race, class,
or ethic group by such means as restricting where they live, the people with whom they interact
and which schools they can attend.
98. Instantaneous (adj.) done occurring or acting without any perceptible duration to
time.
99. Nausea (noun) a sensation of stomach discomfort usually associated with an
urge retch or vomit.
100. Arithmetic (noun) the branch of mathematics that treats of the properties
and relationships of real numbers and of computations with them involving chiefly addition,
subtraction, multiplication, and division.

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 101. Binoculars (P. noun) an optical instrument with two lenses mounted together and
used for viewing things from far away.
102. Faculty (noun) the staff of teachers at a college or university.
103. Explosive (noun) able or likely to cause a sudden, loud and violent release of
energy.
104. Forbidden (verb) to command against or contrary to.
105. Agenda (noun) a list or outline of things to be done, subjects to be discussed, or
business to be transacted.
106. Relative (noun) a person connected with another by blood or affinity; kinsman.
107. Hazelnut (noun) any of several brown hard-shelled dry fruits having an interior
kernel or meat.
108. Bribery (noun) the act or practice of offering someone something valuable (as a
favor or money) in return for that person doing something.
109. Curator (noun) a person in charge of the exhibits, research activities, and staff
of a museum, zoo, art collection, etc.
110. Meager or Meagre (adj.) to small in amount or poor in quality.
111. Bandana or Bandanna (noun) a large, colorful square of cloth with simple, geometric
designs and that is often worn around the neck or to cover the head
112. Sirloin (noun) a cut of meat, especially of beef, taken from the back half of the
animal.
113. Glucose (noun) the sweet colorless sugar that occurs especially in plant saps
and fruits and normally in blood.
114. Topiary (noun) a plant shaped by training, cutting, and trimming trees or shrubs
into ornamental shapes.
115. Doldrums (P. noun) a state or period of sadness, depression or inactivity; blues.
116. Iota (noun) an extremely small amount.
117. Vehicular (adj.) of, relating to, or designed for a machine that is used to carry
goods or passengers from one place to another.
118. Abominably (adv.) very badly or unpleasantly.
119. Bizarro (adj.) characterized by an odd, fantastic or unconventional approach;
outlandish.
120. Full-fledged (adj.) meeting all the requirements to be something; having complete
status.
121. Lexicon (noun) the words used in a language or by a particular person or group
of people.
122. Podunk (noun) a small, unimportant, and isolated town.
123. Quibble (verb) to object to or criticize something based on small, unimportant
matters.
124. Duvet (noun) a warm bed cover; a quilt or comforter.
125. Kosher (adj.) sanctioned by Jewish law; ritually fit, clean, or prepared for use
according to Jewish law.

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 126. Magician (noun) a person who entertains an audience with tricks that seem
impossible.
127. Stalwart (adj.) brave, valiant; resolute.
128. Encroach (verb) to gradually take or use something that belongs to someone
else (as possessions, territory, rights, etc.)
129. Yankee (noun) a native or inhabitant of the northern states as distinguished
from a southern states of U.S.
130. Visual (adj.) attained or maintained by sight.
131. Appreciate (verb) highly approve (of something) and express thanks or gratitude
for (it).
132. Ultimatum (noun) a final proposition, condition, or demand whose rejection will
end negotiations and cause a resort to force or other direct action.
133. Credulity (noun) belief and readiness to believe something is true on very little
evidence.
134. Ingot (noun) a solid piece of metal molded into a shape that makes it easy to
store and transport.
135. Genuine (adj.) sincerely and honestly felt.
136. Seethe (verb) to be in a state of agitation or turmoil.
137. Pyrite (noun) a common mineral that is metallic and pale yellow in color—
called also “fool’s gold.”
138. Surrogate (noun) something that replaces or substitutes for another.
139. Recluse (noun) a person who lives alone and avoids other people.
140. Gambol (verb) to run, jump, or skip around playfully.
141. Verve (noun) energy, vitality.
142. Cajole (verb) to persuade (someone) using flattery or persistence; coax.
143. Mosquito (noun) a small flying insect with long legs that punctures the skin of
animals to suck the blood.
144. Celestial (adj.) of or relating to the sky.
145. Ghastly (adj.) intensely unpleasant; terrible.
146. Nourish (verb) to promote or stimulate the growth or development of; build
up, strengthen.
147. Minuscule or Miniscule (adj.) very small in size or importance.
148. Wraith (noun) ghost, specter.
149. Valorous (adj.) brave, courageous.
150. En-route (adv.) on or along the way.
151. Fragile (adj.) easily broken or destroyed; frail.
152. Prolific (adj.) occurring or existing in large numbers.
153. Veteran (noun) a former member of armed forces who qualifies for benefits or
privileges provided by law for ex-members of the armed forces.
154. Portrait (noun) a painting, drawing, or other pictorial representation of a
person usually showing the face.

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 155. Sesame (noun) small flattish seeds of an herb that are used in cooking and as a
source for oil.
156. Goliath (noun) giant.
157. Ammunition (noun) the materials (such as bullets) that are fired from weapons.
158. Premises (P. noun) a building and the area of land it sits on.
159. Modicum (noun) a small portion; a limited quantity or amount.
160. Iteration (noun) the action of repeating or saying or doing over again.
161. Gung-ho (adj.) extremely or overly zealous or enthusiastic.
162. Cinnamon (noun) an aromatic spice made from the bark of certain tropical trees
and used in cooking.
163. Phonics (P. noun) a method of teaching beginners to read ad pronounce words by
learning the speech sounds of letters and letter groups.
164. Arrogant (adj.) having or showing an exaggerated sense of one’s own worth or
importance.
165. Jettison (verb) drop (as in extra equipment, bombs, cargo or fuel) from an
airplane in flight.
166. Indulgent (adj.) benignly tolerant; markedly permissive.
167. Berserk (adj.) marked by a display of violent, crazed behavior that indicates
extreme excitement or agitation.
168. Edification (noun) a building up of the mind, character, or faith; intellectual, moral
or spiritual improvement.
169. Outrageous (adj.) not conventional; extravagant, fantastic.
170. Debilitate (verb) to impair the strength of; weaken.
171. Bona-fide (adj.) not counterfeit; genuine.
172. Havoc (noun) wide and general damage or destruction.
173. Crucial (adj.) extremely important or essential.
174. Skirmish (noun) combat between detached and small bodies of troops.
175. Albeit (conjunction) even though, although.
176. Irrigation (noun) the artificial watering of land (as by canals, ditches, pipes, or
flooding) to supply moisture of r plant growth.
177. Devotee (noun) an ardent or zealous, supporter or enthusiast (as of a cause, an
art, a sport).
178. Guffaw (verb) laugh noisily or coarsely.
179. Squirrely (adj.) extremely odd; crazily peculiar or senseless.
180. Impugn (verb) call into action; attack as false.
181. Slovenly (adj.) lack of neatness and order especially in dress or person.
182. Flourish (verb) grow well; increase and enlarge; thrive.
183. Whey (noun) the serum or watery part of milk that is separated from the curd
especially in the process of making cheese.
184. Nostalgia (noun) homesickness
185. Paunch (noun) an enlarged, swollen, or protruding belly or stomach.

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 186. Thyme (noun) a common garden herb used in seasoning and formerly in
medicine.
187. Jocularity (noun) the quality or state of being given to saying amusing things.
188. Ruminate (verb) consider something for a period or at intervals, engage in
contemplation.
189. Brethren (P. noun) people who are related or linked to others by a common tie or
interest (such as a shared profession or membership in a society).
190. Cabal (noun) a small secret group that plots against a government or a public
figure.
191. Fluctuation (noun) a wavering or unsteadiness (as of opinion or prices).
192. Boorish (adj.) Characteristic of or relating to a rude, clumsy, insensitive, or
boring individual; unrefined.
193. Ipso-facto (adv.) by the fact or act itself; by that very fact.
194. Notoriety (noun) the state of being famous or well known for something
negative.
195. Foible (noun) a minor flaw or shortcoming in personal character or behavior;
a falling; a weakness.
196. Veracity (noun) devotion to the truth; the quality of being accurate and sincere
in describing reality.
197. Tempura (noun) deep friend fritters of seafood and vegetables.
198. Aqueduct (noun) a conduit or artificial channel for conveying water.
199. Lozenge (noun) a small medicated candy that comes in many flavors.
200. Churros (P. noun) Spanish and Mexican pastries made from deep fried
unsweetened dough and usually sprinkled with sugar.
201. Atrocity (noun) a savagely brutal or cruel deed.
202. Voluminous (adj.) having or marked by a great amount, bulk, mass or quantity.
203. Conspicuous (adj.) undesirably noticeable.
204. Premonition (noun) anticipation of an event without conscious reason.
205. Memorandum (noun) a usually brief informal communication typically written for
interoffice circulation.
206. Germinate (verb) to begin to grow.
207. Parenthetical (adj.) enclosed in both of the curved marks used in writing and
printing to enclose text.
208. Massacres (P. noun) mass killings.
209. Petulance (noun) the quality or state of being insolent or rude in speech or
behavior.
210. Extenuation (noun) partial justification.
211. Incarcerated (verb) imprisoned.
212. Appendectomy (noun) the surgical removal of a narrow tube found in the abdomen.
213. Subterranean (adj.) functioning operating or suitable for operating beneath the
surface of the earth.
214. Financiers (P. noun) people who invest a lot of money in a business.

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 215. Treacherous (adj.) characterized by usually hidden dangers hazards or perils.
216. Orthopedic or Orthopaedic (adj.) marked by or affected with a deformity disorder
or injury of the skeleton and associated structures.
217. Celerity (noun) speed.
218. Acacias (P. noun) plants from warm regions that have white or yellow flowers.
219. Seminole (noun) a Muskogean people.
220. Hallucinations (P. noun) perception of objects with no reality.
221. Endeavor or Endeavour (verb) to try very hard to do something.
222. Labyrinthine (adj.) like a structure full of intricate passageways that make it
difficult to find the way from the interior to the entrance or from the entrance to the center.
223. Excruciating (adj.) so intense as to cause great pain or anguish.
224. Lichenous (adj.) resembling a complex plantlike organism made up of alga and a
fungus growing on solid surface such as a rock or the bark of trees.
225. Chandeliers (P. noun) lighting fixtures suspended from the ceiling with two or more
arms bearing lights.
226. Uncoquettish (adj.) not trifling: sincere.
227. Tempestuous (adj.) of, involving or resembling a furious storm.
228. Interpolated (verb) inserted words into a text.
229. Sentries (P. noun) soldiers standing guard.
230. Prosthetic (adj.) of or relating to an artificial device to replace a missing part of
the body.
231. Epithets (P. noun) words or phrases means as insults.
232. Compatriots (P. noun) close associates or colleagues.
233. Petrifying (verb) turning organic matter into stone or a stony substance.
234. Tremendous (adj.) astonishing due to extreme size, power, greatness or
excellence.
235. Pearlescent (adj.) having the appearance of mother-of-pearl.
236. Bestial (adj.) of or relating to an animal.
237. Tenaciously (adv.) in a very determined manner; persistently.
238. Cavalcade (noun) a procession of riders or carriages.
239. Burglarious (adj.) of or suitable for the use of one who breaks into a
building illegally especially with intent to steal.
240. Scrumptiously (adv.) in a delightful or excellent manner.
241. Boulevards (P. noun) broad streets; especially: ones that are more showy
than ordinary street with trees along the center or sides.
242. Laburnums (P. noun) plants of a small genus poisonous shrubs and trees with
bright yellow flowers.
243. Thaumaturge (noun) a person who performs miracles: a magician.
244. Marvelous or Marvellous (adj.) notably superior: excellent.
245. Vulpine (adj.) marked by slyness or predatoriness: crafty.
246. Catastrophic (adj.) of, relating to, resembling or resulting in disaster.
247. Quandary (noun) a state of perplexity or doubt: dilemma.

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 248. Uranium (noun) a silvery, heavy radioactive metallic element that is used
primarily in atomic energy.
249. Collision (noun) the action or an instance of two or more things striking
forcefully together typically by accident.
250. Alpinist (noun) a mountain climber specializing in high difficult climbs.
251. Mahogany (noun) the durable yellowish brown to reddish brown wood of
a West Indian tree that is widely used for cabinetwork and fine finish work.
252. Neutron (noun) an elementary particle that has no electrical charge and
that has a mass of nearly equal to that of the proton.
253. Insulin (noun) a protein pancreatic hormone that is essential especially
for the metabolism of carbohydrates and which is used in the treatment and control of diabetes.
254. Allegiance (noun) devotion or loyalty especially to a person, group or
cause.
255. Dantean (adj.) of, relating to or characteristic of the Italian Dante or his
writings.
256. Perpetrator (noun) one that commits an offense or crime.
257. Avalanche (noun) a large mass of snow, ice, dirt, rock or other material
sliding swiftly down a mountainside.
258. Bedlam (noun) a place or scene of wild mad uproar.
259. Exquisite (adj.) marked by flawless craftsmanship or by beautiful,
delicate or elaborate execution.
260. Assailant (noun) one who attacks with violence.
261. Functionary (noun) one holding a paid position or office in a government or
party: civil servant.
262. Inadvertent (adj.) unintentional.
263. Mandarin (noun) the main dialect of Chinese spoken in China.
264. Physicists (P. noun) specialists in the science of matter and energy and their
interactions.
265. Einstein (noun) a mathematical genius.
266. Tremulous (adj.) quivering, shaking.
267. Aperture (noun) the opening in a photographic lens that admits the light
passing through.
268. Prodigious (adj.) enormous, immense.
269. Stilton (noun) a blue-veined cheese with wrinkled rind made of whole
cow’s milk enriched with cream and usually aged two years.
270. Unscrupulous (adj.) lacking or exhibiting a lack of moral principles.
271. Concussion (noun) a jarring injury of the brain resulting in disturbance of
cerebral function and sometimes marked by permanent damage.
272. Legitimately (adv.) according to law or rules.
273. Vagabonds (P. noun) individuals who wander about from place to place.
274. Affectionately (adv.) in a loving or fond manner.

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 275. Habanero (noun) a very hot roundish chili pepper that is usually orange
when matures.
276. Overweening (adj.) excessive, exaggerated, unrestrained.
277. Vengeance (noun) infliction of punishment in return for an injury or
offense.
278. Gladiatorial (adj.) of, relating to or suggestive of persons in ancient Rome
who fought against other people or wild animals for the entertainment of the public.
279. Semaphore (noun) a system of visual signaling (as between ships) in which
the sender holds a flag in each hand and moves his or her arms to different positions according
to a code alphabet.
280. Inconceivable (adj.) falling outside the limit of what can be comprehend,
accepted as true or tolerated.
281. Pilgrimages (P. noun) trips taken to visit a place of historic or sentimental
interest or to participate in a specific event or for a definite purpose.
282. Holocaust (noun) the mass slaughter of European civilians and especially
Jews by the Nazis during World War II.
283. Nuisance (noun) something that is disagreeable or troublesome: an
annoyance.
284. Enervating (verb) lessening the nerve, vitality or strength of.
285. Sanctum sanctorum (noun) a study, office or place of retreat where one is free from
intrusion.
286. Undulating (adj.) rising and falling in waves: fluctuating.
287. Jacobean (adj.) of or relating to James I of England, his reign or is times.
288. Hypotenuse (noun) the side of a right-angled triangle that is opposite the
right angle.
289. Machete (noun) a large, heavy knife usually make with a blade often two
or three feet in length.
290. Silhouetted (verb) projected upon a background like an outline of a person
or thing.
291. Conflagration (noun) a large disastrous fire involving many buildings.
292. Churlish (adj.) difficult to work or deal with: rude.
293. Mandrill (noun) a large, fierce baboon of West Africa with the male
having blue ridges on each side of the red-bridge nose.
294. Ascetic (adj.) refraining from self-indulgence, austere, self-discipline.
295. Pugnacious (adj.) having an assertive, hostile or combative nature:
aggressive.
296. Gesticulations (P. noun) expressive motions of the body or limbs.
297. Interminableness (noun) the state or quality of having no end or being drown
out. No termination.
298. Potentialities (P. noun) things that have a possibility for changing or developing
into a state of reality.

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 299. Decrepitude (noun) the quality or state of being decrepit, physical
weakness; a state of decay or ruin.
300. Promulgate (verb) to make widely known through speech or writing:
announce.

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