Share ThisSome words, called onomatopoeia, originated as an imitation of natural sounds—in fact, some linguists have developed a theory (sometimes known as the :bow-wow theory") that this is how all spoken language began. There are onomatopoeia in every language.
Champions and Their Winning Words
′20s | ′30s | ′40s | ′50s | '60s | ′70s | ′80s | ′90s | ′00s
| YEAR | WORD | CHAMPION | SPONSOR |
gladiolus | Frank Neuhauser | Louisville Courier-Journal, | |
1926 | cerise | Pauline Bell | Louisville Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky |
1927 | luxuriance | Dean Lucas | Akron Beacon Journal, |
1928 | albumen | Betty Robinson | South Bend News-Tribune, South Bend, Indiana |
1929 | asceticism | Virginia Hogan | The Omaha World-Herald, Omaha, Nebraska |
fracas | Helen Jensen | Des Moines Register & Tribune, Des Moines, Iowa | |
1931 | foulard | Ward Randall | White Hall Register-Republican, White Hall, Illinois |
1932 | knack | Dorothy Greenwalk | Des Moines Register & Tribune, |
1933 | torsion | Alma Roach | Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, Ohio |
1934 | deteriorating | Sarah Wilson | Portland Evening Express, Portland, Maine |
1935 | intelligible | Clara Mohler | Akron Beacon Journal, |
1936 | interning | Jean Trowbridge | Des Moines Register & Tribune, Des Moines, Iowa |
1937 | promiscuous | Waneeta Beckley | Louisville Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky |
1938 | sanitarium | Marian Richardson | Louisville Times, Louisville, Kentucky |
1939 | canonical | Elizabeth Ann Rice | Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Worcester, Massachusetts |
therapy | Laurel Kuykendall | The Knoxville News-Sentinel, | |
1941 | initials | Louis Edward Sissman | Detroit News, Detroit, Michigan |
1942 | sacrilegious | Richard Earnhart | El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso, Texas |
1946 | semaphore | John McKinney | Des Moines Register & Tribune, Des Moines, Iowa |
1947 | chlorophyll | Mattie Lou Pollard | Atlanta Journal, |
1948 | psychiatry | Jean Chappelear | Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, Ohio |
1949 | dulcimer | Kim Calvin | Canton Repository, Canton, Ohio |
meticulosity | Diana Reynard and Colquitt Dean | Cleveland Press, Cleveland, Ohio, and | |
1951 | insouciant | Irving Belz | Memphis Press Scimitar, |
1952 | vignette | Doris Ann Hall | Winston-Salem Journal, Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
1953 | soubrette | Elizabeth Hess | Arizona Republic, |
1954 | transept | William Cashore | Norristown Times Herald, Norristown, Pennsylvania |
1955 | crustaceology | Sandra Sloss | St. Louis Globe-Democrat, St. Louis, Missouri |
1956 | condominium | Melody Sachko | The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
1957 | schappe | Sandra Owen and Dana Bennett | Canton Repository, Canton, Ohio, and Rocky Mountain News, Denver, Colorado |
1958 | syllepsis | Jolitta Schlehuber | Topeka Daily Capital, Topeka, Kansas |
1959 | catamaran | Joel Montgomery | Rocky Mountain News, Denver, Colorado |
eudaemonic | Henry Feldman | The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Knoxville, Tennessee | |
1961 | smaragdine | John Capehart | Tulsa Tribune, Tulsa, Oklahoma |
1962 | esquamulose | Nettie Crawford¹ and Michael Day | El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso, Texas, and St. Louis Globe-Democrat, St. Louis, Missouri |
1963 | equipage | Glen Van Slyke III | The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Knoxville, Tennessee |
1964 | sycophant | William Kerek | Akron Beacon Journal, |
1965 | eczema | Michael Kerpan Jr. | Tulsa Tribune, |
1966 | ratoon | Robert A. Wake | Houston Chronicle, Houston, Texas |
1967 | Chihuahua | Jennifer Reinke | The Omaha World-Herald, Omaha, Nebraska |
1968 | abalone | Robert L. Walters | The Topeka Daily Capital, Topeka, Kansas |
1969 | interlocutory | Susan Yoachum | Dallas Morning News, |
croissant | Libby Childress | Winston-Salem Journal & Sentinel, Winston-Salem, North Carolina | |
1971 | shalloon | Jonathan Knisely | Philadelphia Bulletin, |
1972 | macerate | Robin Kral | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, |
1973 | vouchsafe | Barrie Trinkle | Fort Worth Press, Fort Worth, Texas |
1974 | hydrophyte | Julie Ann Junkin | Birmingham Post-Herald, Birmingham, Alabama |
1975 | incisor | Hugh Tosteson | San Juan Star, San Juan, Puerto Rico |
1976 | narcolepsy | Tim Kneale | Syracuse Herald Journal-American, Syracuse, New York |
1977 | cambist | John Paola | The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
1978 | deification | Peg McCarthy | The Topeka Capital-Journal, Topeka, Kansas |
1979 | maculature | Katie Kerwin | Rocky Mountain News, Denver, Colorado |
elucubrate | Jacques Bailly | Rocky Mountain News, Denver, Colorado | |
1981 | sarcophagus | Paige Pipkin | El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso, Texas |
1982 | psoriasis | Molly Dieveney | Rocky Mountain News, |
1983 | Purim | Blake Giddens² | El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso, Texas |
1984 | luge | Daniel Greenblatt | Loudoun Times-Mirror, Leesburg, Virginia |
1985 | milieu | Balu Natarajan | Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois |
1986 | odontalgia | Jon Pennington | The Patriot News, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
1987 | staphylococci | Stephanie Petit | The Pittsburgh Press, |
1988 | elegiacal | Rageshree Ramachandran | The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, California |
1989 | spoliator | Scott Isaacs | Rocky Mountain News, Denver, Colorado |
fibranne | Amy Marie Dimak | The Seattle Times, Seattle, Washington | |
1991 | antipyretic | Joanne Lagatta | The Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, Wisconsin |
1992 | lyceum | Amanda Goad | The Richmond News Leader, |
1993 | kamikaze | Geoff Hooper | The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee |
1994 | antediluvian | Ned G. Andrews | The Knoxville News-Sentinel, |
1995 | xanthosis | Justin Tyler Carroll³ | The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee |
1996 | vivisepulture | Wendy Guey | The Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach, Florida |
1997 | euonym | Rebecca Sealfon | Daily News, New York, New York |
1998 | chiaroscurist | Jody-Anne Maxwell | Phillips & Phillips Stationery Suppliers, Ltd., Kingston, Jamaica |
1999 | logorrhea | Nupur Lala | The Tampa Tribune, Tampa, Florida |
demarche | George Abraham Thampy | St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Missouri | |
2001 | succedaneum | Sean Conley | Aitkin Independent Age, Aitkin, Minnesota |
2002 | prospicience | Pratyush Buddiga | Rocky Mountain News, |
2003 | pococurante | Sai R. Gunturi | The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas |
2004 | autochthonous | David Scott Pilarski Tidmarsh | South Bend Tribune, South Bend, Indiana |
2005 | appoggiatura | Anurag Kashyap | San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego, California |
2006 | Ursprache | Kerry Close | Asbury Park Press/Home News Tribune, |
2007 | serrefine | Evan M. O'Dorney | Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, California |
2008 | guerdon | Sameer Mishra | Journal and Courier, Lafayette, Indiana |
| 2009 | Laodicean | Kavya Shivashankar | Olathe News, Olathe, Kansas |
¹Nettie Crawford was a resident of New Mexico at the time of her championship.
²Blake Giddens was a resident of New Mexico at the time of his championship.
³Justin Tyler Carroll was a resident of Arkansas at the time of his championship.