Toponyms in the Spelling Bee Lexicon
LexiConnexxions has identified 52 toponyms – words derived from place-names – in the A-L portion of Spelling Bee lexicon, which comprises 63% of the entire lexicon. The entire list to date is shown below.
Important Information about this Resource
As of 2024-08-07, analysis has been completed in the A-L portion of the Spelling Bee lexicon, which comprises 63% of the entire lexicon; as the analysis continues, the reports will be updated, and more topics will be added. Each of these reports is a work in progress and is subject to change; as the analysis continues, adjustments may be required across the entire taxonomy to accommodate new taxonomical terms, additional concepts, etc.
Words marked with an asterisk have been used in at least one Bee puzzle, then subsequently disallowed; they are retained here for historical interest.
M-W refers to Merriam-Webster (abridged); NOAD refers to the New Oxford American Dictionary. Please review the important note HERE about the use of dictionaries by the Spelling Bee editor.
As of 2024-08-07, analysis has been completed in the A-L portion of the Spelling Bee lexicon, which comprises 63% of the entire lexicon; as the analysis continues, the reports will be updated, and more topics will be added. Each of these reports is a work in progress and is subject to change; as the analysis continues, adjustments may be required across the entire taxonomy to accommodate new taxonomical terms, additional concepts, etc.
Words marked with an asterisk have been used in at least one Bee puzzle, then subsequently disallowed; they are retained here for historical interest.
M-W refers to Merriam-Webster (abridged); NOAD refers to the New Oxford American Dictionary. Please review the important note HERE about the use of dictionaries by the Spelling Bee editor.
TOPONYMS in the Spelling Bee Lexicon
BEE WORD: Definition from Merriam-Webster
ANGORA: the hair of the Angora rabbit or Angora goat, or a yarn of Angora rabbit hair used especially for knitting. (In the names of animals -- Angora cat, Angora rabbit, Angora goat – the adjective is proper.) From Ankara (historically known as Angora), in present-day Turkey.
ARABICA: an evergreen shrub or tree (Coffea arabica) yielding seeds that produce a high-quality coffee; from New Latin, specific epithet of Coffea arabica, from Latin, feminine of Arabicus Arabian
ARBORIO: M-W: always in the open compound “arborio rice.” Named for Arborio, village in Piedmont region of Italy
ARCADIA: a region or scene of simple pleasure and quiet; named for Arcadia, region of ancient Greece frequently chosen as background for pastoral poetry
ARCADIAN: Related to arcadia, a region or scene of simple pleasure and quiet; named for Arcadia, region of ancient Greece frequently chosen as background for pastoral poetry
ATTIC: Attic in classical architecture meant "a small, square decorative column of the type often used in a low story above a building's main facade," a feature associated with the region around Athens (that is, Attic). The word then was applied by architects to "a low decorative facade above the main story of a building" (1690s in English), and it then came to mean the space enclosed by such a structure.
BABEL: a confusion of sounds or voices, or a scene of noise or confusion; named for Babel, a city in Shinar where the building of a tower is held in Genesis to have been halted by the confusion of tongues
BANTAM: a small chicken, named for Bantam, former village in Java where the birds are believed to have originated
BARB: any of a northern African breed of horses that are noted for speed and endurance; French barbe, from Italian barbero, from barbero of Barbary, from Barberia Barbary, coastal region in Africa
BIALY: a flat breakfast roll that has a depressed center and is usually covered with onion flakes; from bialystoker of Bialystok, city in Poland
BIKINI: a two-piece bathing suit worn by women that does not cover the midriff; also, a short snug swimsuit worn by men; also, a pair of low-cut briefs; from Bikini, atoll of the Marshall Islands
BOCK: a dark lager beer with a high alcohol content that has a strong flavor of malt and a mild flavor of hops and is typically sold in the winter or early spring. German, short for Bockbier, by shortening & alteration from Einbecker Bier, literally, beer from Einbeck, from Einbeck, Germany
BOHO: a Bohemian: a person (such as a writer or an artist) living an unconventional life usually in a colony with others. From a transferred sense of French bohemién "a Bohemian; a Gypsy," from the country name (Bohemia), mistakenly believed to be the home of the Gypsies.
BOLOGNA: a large smoked sausage of beef, veal, and pork; short for Bologna sausage, from Bologna, Italy
BOURBON: a rose (Rosa borboniana) of upright growth with shining leaves, prickly branches, and clustered large flowers; named after French rose de Bourbon, after the Île Bourbon (now Réunion, island of the western Mascarene Islands in the western Indian Ocean), where the rose likely originated
BOURBON: a whiskey distilled from a mash made up of not less than 51 percent corn plus malt and rye; probably named after Bourbon County, Kentucky, or its pre-statehood predecessor, a county of Virginia that included much of northeastern Kentucky
CALICO: cotton cloth imported from India; British: a plain white cotton fabric that is heavier than muslin; any of various cheap cotton fabrics with figured patterns. Named for Calicut, India
CANARY: For all definitions: Middle French canarie, from Old Spanish canario, from Islas Canarias, Canary Islands
CANOLA: Canola was originally a trademark name of the Rapeseed Association of Canada, and the name was a condensation of "Can" from Canada and "OLA" meaning "Oil, low acid" but is now a generic term for edible varieties of rapeseed oil in North America and Australasia.
CAPITOL: a building in which a state legislative body meets; from Latin Capitolium, temple of Jupiter at Rome on the Capitoline hill
CHARD: Short for chardonnay (sometimes capitalized), a dry white table wine typically made from a single white grape variety originally grown in France; believed to be named after the village of Chardonnay in the Mâconnais region of France
CHIANTI: M-W and NOAD both capitalize this dry usually red wine named for the Tuscany region of Italy where it is produced
CHIHUAHUA: M-W capitalizes Chihuahua: any of a breed of very small roundheaded dogs that occur in short-coated and long-coated varieties, from Chihuahua, Mexico. NOAD does not capitalize.
CHINA: porcelain; also: vitreous porcelain wares (such as dishes, vases, or ornaments) for domestic use; also, earthenware or porcelain tableware, from Persian chīnī Chinese porcelain, from China
COACH: Middle English coche, from Middle French, from German Kutsche, from Hungarian kocsi (szekér), literally, wagon from Kocs, Hungary
COGNAC: a brandy from the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime distilled from white wine; French, from Cognac, France
COLOGNE: a perfumed liquid composed of alcohol and fragrant oils, named for Cologne, Germany
CONGA: a Cuban dance of African origin, or a tall barrel-shaped or tapering drum of Afro-Cuban origin; American Spanish, probably from feminine of congo, meaning black person, from Congo, region in Africa
CURACAO: a liqueur flavored with the dried peel of the sour orange; Dutch curaçao, from Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles
CURRANT: a small seedless raisin originally grown chiefly in the eastern Mediterranean, or the acid edible fruit of various shrubs …Back-formation from earlier corawnce, currantes, ellipsis from Middle English reysouns of corans, borrowed from Anglo-French raisins de Curance "raisins of Corinth," from Corinth, Greece
DELFT: tin-glazed Dutch earthenware with blue and white or polychrome decoration, or ceramic ware (such as tiles) resembling or imitative of Dutch delft; named for Delft, Netherlands
DENIM: a firm durable twilled usually cotton fabric woven with colored warp and white filling threads; from French (serge) de Nîmes serge of Nîmes, France
DOLLAR: dollar derives from taler: Dutch or Low German daler, from German Taler, short for Joachimstaler, from Sankt Joachimsthal, Bohemia, where talers were first made
DONNYBROOK: a free-for-all, brawl; a usually public quarrel or dispute. Named for Donnybrook Fair, annual Irish event known for its brawls
DUFFEL: a coarse heavy woolen material with a thick nap, from the Dutch duffel, from Duffel, Belgium
DUFFLE: a M-W: variant of duffel, a coarse heavy woolen material with a thick nap, from the Dutch duffel, from Duffel, Belgium
DUMDUM: a bullet (such as one with a hollow point) that expands more than usual upon hitting an object; named for Dum Dum, arsenal near Calcutta, India
HOCK: often capitalized, chiefly British: Rhine wine, a usually white wine produced in the Rhine valley; modification of German Hochheimer, from Hochheim, Germany
INDICA: M-W has this only as part of the phrase “cannabis indica” -- a variety of cannabis obtained in India JAVA: coffee, named for Java, island of Indonesia
JEAN: a durable twilled cotton cloth used especially for sportswear and work clothes; or usually jeans: pants usually made of denim or jean, both short for jean fustian from Middle English Gene Genoa, Italy + fustian
JETTY: deep black in color: jet-black; from jet, Middle English, from Anglo-French jaiet, from Latin gagates, from Greek gagatēs, from Gagas, town and river in Asia Minor
LANDAU*: a four-wheel carriage with a top divided into two sections that can be folded away or removed and with a raised seat outside for the driver; named for Landau, Bavaria, Germany
LATEEN: (adj.) being or relating to a rig used especially on the north coast of Africa and characterized by a triangular sail extended by a long spar slung to a low mast; also (noun): a lateen-rigged ship or a lateen sail; from French (voile) latine, literally, Latin (Mediterranean) sail
LAWN: a fine sheer linen or cotton fabric of plain weave that is thinner than cambric; Middle English lawne, laund, probably from Laon, France
LIDO*: a fashionable beach resort, named for Lido, Italy
LILLIPUTIAN: often not capitalized: small, miniature; petty; derived from Lilliput, an island in Swift's Gulliver's Travels where the inhabitants are six inches tall
LIMA: M-W has only lima bean, a bushy or vining tropical American bean (Phaseolus lunatus synonym Phaseolus limensis) that is widely cultivated for its flat edible starchy seed which is usually pale green when immature and whitish or beige when mature; also, the seed of a lima bean eaten usually cooked as a vegetable, named for Lima, Peru
LIMO: shortened form of limousine, a large luxurious often chauffeur-driven sedan that usually has a glass partition separating the driver's seat from the passenger compartment; also, a large vehicle for transporting passengers to and from an airport; from French, literally, cloak, from Limousin, France
LITTLENECK: a young quahog suitable to be eaten raw; called also littleneck clam; named for Littleneck Bay, Long Island, New York
LOTTO: a game of chance resembling bingo; from Italian lotto "lottery, game of chance based on guessing numbers drawn from an urn" (originally lotto di Genova "Genoa lottery")
LOVAGE: any of several aromatic perennial herbs of the carrot family, especially: a European herb (Levisticum officinale) sometimes cultivated for use in medicine especially as a diuretic and in cookery usually as a flavoring agent; from Middle English lovache, from Anglo-French luvasche, lovasche, from Late Latin levisticum, alteration of Latin ligusticum, from neuter of ligusticus Ligurian, from Ligur-, Ligus, noun, Ligurian Updated 2024-09-14
ANGORA: the hair of the Angora rabbit or Angora goat, or a yarn of Angora rabbit hair used especially for knitting. (In the names of animals -- Angora cat, Angora rabbit, Angora goat – the adjective is proper.) From Ankara (historically known as Angora), in present-day Turkey.
ARABICA: an evergreen shrub or tree (Coffea arabica) yielding seeds that produce a high-quality coffee; from New Latin, specific epithet of Coffea arabica, from Latin, feminine of Arabicus Arabian
ARBORIO: M-W: always in the open compound “arborio rice.” Named for Arborio, village in Piedmont region of Italy
ARCADIA: a region or scene of simple pleasure and quiet; named for Arcadia, region of ancient Greece frequently chosen as background for pastoral poetry
ARCADIAN: Related to arcadia, a region or scene of simple pleasure and quiet; named for Arcadia, region of ancient Greece frequently chosen as background for pastoral poetry
ATTIC: Attic in classical architecture meant "a small, square decorative column of the type often used in a low story above a building's main facade," a feature associated with the region around Athens (that is, Attic). The word then was applied by architects to "a low decorative facade above the main story of a building" (1690s in English), and it then came to mean the space enclosed by such a structure.
BABEL: a confusion of sounds or voices, or a scene of noise or confusion; named for Babel, a city in Shinar where the building of a tower is held in Genesis to have been halted by the confusion of tongues
BANTAM: a small chicken, named for Bantam, former village in Java where the birds are believed to have originated
BARB: any of a northern African breed of horses that are noted for speed and endurance; French barbe, from Italian barbero, from barbero of Barbary, from Barberia Barbary, coastal region in Africa
BIALY: a flat breakfast roll that has a depressed center and is usually covered with onion flakes; from bialystoker of Bialystok, city in Poland
BIKINI: a two-piece bathing suit worn by women that does not cover the midriff; also, a short snug swimsuit worn by men; also, a pair of low-cut briefs; from Bikini, atoll of the Marshall Islands
BOCK: a dark lager beer with a high alcohol content that has a strong flavor of malt and a mild flavor of hops and is typically sold in the winter or early spring. German, short for Bockbier, by shortening & alteration from Einbecker Bier, literally, beer from Einbeck, from Einbeck, Germany
BOHO: a Bohemian: a person (such as a writer or an artist) living an unconventional life usually in a colony with others. From a transferred sense of French bohemién "a Bohemian; a Gypsy," from the country name (Bohemia), mistakenly believed to be the home of the Gypsies.
BOLOGNA: a large smoked sausage of beef, veal, and pork; short for Bologna sausage, from Bologna, Italy
BOURBON: a rose (Rosa borboniana) of upright growth with shining leaves, prickly branches, and clustered large flowers; named after French rose de Bourbon, after the Île Bourbon (now Réunion, island of the western Mascarene Islands in the western Indian Ocean), where the rose likely originated
BOURBON: a whiskey distilled from a mash made up of not less than 51 percent corn plus malt and rye; probably named after Bourbon County, Kentucky, or its pre-statehood predecessor, a county of Virginia that included much of northeastern Kentucky
CALICO: cotton cloth imported from India; British: a plain white cotton fabric that is heavier than muslin; any of various cheap cotton fabrics with figured patterns. Named for Calicut, India
CANARY: For all definitions: Middle French canarie, from Old Spanish canario, from Islas Canarias, Canary Islands
CANOLA: Canola was originally a trademark name of the Rapeseed Association of Canada, and the name was a condensation of "Can" from Canada and "OLA" meaning "Oil, low acid" but is now a generic term for edible varieties of rapeseed oil in North America and Australasia.
CAPITOL: a building in which a state legislative body meets; from Latin Capitolium, temple of Jupiter at Rome on the Capitoline hill
CHARD: Short for chardonnay (sometimes capitalized), a dry white table wine typically made from a single white grape variety originally grown in France; believed to be named after the village of Chardonnay in the Mâconnais region of France
CHIANTI: M-W and NOAD both capitalize this dry usually red wine named for the Tuscany region of Italy where it is produced
CHIHUAHUA: M-W capitalizes Chihuahua: any of a breed of very small roundheaded dogs that occur in short-coated and long-coated varieties, from Chihuahua, Mexico. NOAD does not capitalize.
CHINA: porcelain; also: vitreous porcelain wares (such as dishes, vases, or ornaments) for domestic use; also, earthenware or porcelain tableware, from Persian chīnī Chinese porcelain, from China
COACH: Middle English coche, from Middle French, from German Kutsche, from Hungarian kocsi (szekér), literally, wagon from Kocs, Hungary
COGNAC: a brandy from the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime distilled from white wine; French, from Cognac, France
COLOGNE: a perfumed liquid composed of alcohol and fragrant oils, named for Cologne, Germany
CONGA: a Cuban dance of African origin, or a tall barrel-shaped or tapering drum of Afro-Cuban origin; American Spanish, probably from feminine of congo, meaning black person, from Congo, region in Africa
CURACAO: a liqueur flavored with the dried peel of the sour orange; Dutch curaçao, from Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles
CURRANT: a small seedless raisin originally grown chiefly in the eastern Mediterranean, or the acid edible fruit of various shrubs …Back-formation from earlier corawnce, currantes, ellipsis from Middle English reysouns of corans, borrowed from Anglo-French raisins de Curance "raisins of Corinth," from Corinth, Greece
DELFT: tin-glazed Dutch earthenware with blue and white or polychrome decoration, or ceramic ware (such as tiles) resembling or imitative of Dutch delft; named for Delft, Netherlands
DENIM: a firm durable twilled usually cotton fabric woven with colored warp and white filling threads; from French (serge) de Nîmes serge of Nîmes, France
DOLLAR: dollar derives from taler: Dutch or Low German daler, from German Taler, short for Joachimstaler, from Sankt Joachimsthal, Bohemia, where talers were first made
DONNYBROOK: a free-for-all, brawl; a usually public quarrel or dispute. Named for Donnybrook Fair, annual Irish event known for its brawls
DUFFEL: a coarse heavy woolen material with a thick nap, from the Dutch duffel, from Duffel, Belgium
DUFFLE: a M-W: variant of duffel, a coarse heavy woolen material with a thick nap, from the Dutch duffel, from Duffel, Belgium
DUMDUM: a bullet (such as one with a hollow point) that expands more than usual upon hitting an object; named for Dum Dum, arsenal near Calcutta, India
HOCK: often capitalized, chiefly British: Rhine wine, a usually white wine produced in the Rhine valley; modification of German Hochheimer, from Hochheim, Germany
INDICA: M-W has this only as part of the phrase “cannabis indica” -- a variety of cannabis obtained in India JAVA: coffee, named for Java, island of Indonesia
JEAN: a durable twilled cotton cloth used especially for sportswear and work clothes; or usually jeans: pants usually made of denim or jean, both short for jean fustian from Middle English Gene Genoa, Italy + fustian
JETTY: deep black in color: jet-black; from jet, Middle English, from Anglo-French jaiet, from Latin gagates, from Greek gagatēs, from Gagas, town and river in Asia Minor
LANDAU*: a four-wheel carriage with a top divided into two sections that can be folded away or removed and with a raised seat outside for the driver; named for Landau, Bavaria, Germany
LATEEN: (adj.) being or relating to a rig used especially on the north coast of Africa and characterized by a triangular sail extended by a long spar slung to a low mast; also (noun): a lateen-rigged ship or a lateen sail; from French (voile) latine, literally, Latin (Mediterranean) sail
LAWN: a fine sheer linen or cotton fabric of plain weave that is thinner than cambric; Middle English lawne, laund, probably from Laon, France
LIDO*: a fashionable beach resort, named for Lido, Italy
LILLIPUTIAN: often not capitalized: small, miniature; petty; derived from Lilliput, an island in Swift's Gulliver's Travels where the inhabitants are six inches tall
LIMA: M-W has only lima bean, a bushy or vining tropical American bean (Phaseolus lunatus synonym Phaseolus limensis) that is widely cultivated for its flat edible starchy seed which is usually pale green when immature and whitish or beige when mature; also, the seed of a lima bean eaten usually cooked as a vegetable, named for Lima, Peru
LIMO: shortened form of limousine, a large luxurious often chauffeur-driven sedan that usually has a glass partition separating the driver's seat from the passenger compartment; also, a large vehicle for transporting passengers to and from an airport; from French, literally, cloak, from Limousin, France
LITTLENECK: a young quahog suitable to be eaten raw; called also littleneck clam; named for Littleneck Bay, Long Island, New York
LOTTO: a game of chance resembling bingo; from Italian lotto "lottery, game of chance based on guessing numbers drawn from an urn" (originally lotto di Genova "Genoa lottery")
LOVAGE: any of several aromatic perennial herbs of the carrot family, especially: a European herb (Levisticum officinale) sometimes cultivated for use in medicine especially as a diuretic and in cookery usually as a flavoring agent; from Middle English lovache, from Anglo-French luvasche, lovasche, from Late Latin levisticum, alteration of Latin ligusticum, from neuter of ligusticus Ligurian, from Ligur-, Ligus, noun, Ligurian Updated 2024-09-14