CSW12 Complete Variants David Sutton Introduction This document seeks to provide a comprehensive tabulation of variant spelling forms in CSW12, for words up to nine letters in length. It can be viewed as a big brother to 'CSW12 New Variants', which dealt only with new variants introduced in CSW12: that is to say, new words which were simply variant forms of words already existing in CSW7. Again, the idea is to ease at least marginally the task of word learning by grouping the words into 'variant spelling' sets. The following provisos should be noticed. only root forms are listed. It can normally be taken for granted that inflections follow suit. I have not sought to include inflectional variants such as LABELED/LABELLED. only root forms with nine or fewer letters are included, though if these have variant spellings with more than nine letters, those are shown. the large number of –ISE/-IZE variants are omitted. Since CSW7 it can overhelmingly be assumed that any verb ending in –ISE has a corresponding –IZE form; there are exceptions like ADVISE, CHASTISE, DESPISE and FRANCHISE but few that are likely to seduce one into error. it must be remembered that some variants may possess part of speech properties not possessed by other variants of that form. For example, in the case of ALARM/ALARUM/LARUM ALARM and ALARUM are both noun and verb, but LARUM is noun only. Similarly, in the case of ALATE/ALATED, ALATE is both adjective and noun and so can take an –S, but ALATED is adjective only. I have assumed that Scrabble players serious enough to be interested in this document are likely to be aware of such nuances, or prepared to research the matter further on their own account. this document restricts itself to variant spellings. It is not about words unrelated by spelling which refer to the same thing. For example, KAAMA is another name for the HARTEBEEST, but you won't find that here. But I have erred somewhat on the side of generosity by including adjectival forms which are not strictly speaking variant spellings but which differ only by ending and have the same or virtually the same meaning e.g. LACTEAL LACTEAN LACTEOUS, which all mean, more or less, 'milky'. I also include words which are essentially the same word but which have acquired slightly different nuances of meaning e.g. CAPTIVE, CAITIFF and CAITIVE, which all derive from Latin captivus, but where the (obsolete) CAITIFF and CAITIVE carry a suggestion of baseness absent from the modern form CAPTIVE. I have not gone to great lengths to seek out ‘unnecessary’ variants based on less common and less productive meanings of words. For example, the flower wild mignonette has names WALD and WELD, but most Scrabble players will be content to know WELD as the verb meaning to join two pieces of metal by fusing, so I have not bothered to include WALD/WELD. I shall be glad to know of any errors or omissions. 1 Version History 01/03/12 1.0 First release 2 aal an E. Indian shrub al aargh an exclamation indicating dismay aarrgh aarrghh argh aarti an Indian ceremony in which candles dipped in ghee are lighted and offered to arti various deities aba a Syrian cloth of goat's or camel's hair; an outer garment made of it abaya abba abaca the Manila-hemp plant, or its fiber abaka abamp a unit equivalent to 10 amperes abampere aband to abandon abandon abashless unashamed bashless abater one who abates eg a nuisance abator abatis a rampart of felled trees or branches abattis abaxial away from the axis or central line abaxile abbacy the office of abbot abbotcy abcee the alphabet absey abdabs terror, the frights, nerves, as in 'the screaming abdabs' habdabs abduce to draw or conduct away abduct aberrance erring, deviation aberrancy abetment the act of abetting abettal abetter one who abets abettor abeyance a state of suspension or temporary inactivity abeyancy able competent; (verb, obs.) to enable hable ablings perhaps ablins aiblins yibbles abodement a foreboding, an omen bodement aboideau a tide gate aboiteau 3 abomasum the fourth of the four stomachs of a ruminant abomasus abondance abundance, esp in whist abundance abundancy aboon above abune aborigen an original or native inhabitant of a country aborigin aborigine aboulia abnormal lack of ability to act or to make decisions abulia aboulic relating to aboulia, loss of willpower abulic abraid to awake, arouse abray abram auburn auburn abrasax a gem engraved with a mystical word and bearing a human-animal figure abraxas abricock an apricot apricock apricot abscisin a hormone which triggers the fall of autumn leaves in certain trees abscissin absciss the distance of a point from the y-axis measured parallel to the x-axis abscissa abscisse absinth the wormwood plant or other species of Artemisia; a liqueur made from this absinthe absorbant able to absorb; (noun) an absorbant substance absorbent abutment a buttress of an arch butment aby to pay the penalty for abye abysm an abyss abyss academe the academic life or world academia acai a berry found in the Brazilian rainforest, aka palm berry assai acaleph a kind of jellyfish acalephe acanth a genus of herbaceous prickly plants acanthus acaridan relating to the Acarida, mites and ticks; (noun) a mite or tick acaridean acaridian acater an officer who buys provisions; a chandler acatour 4 acates things purchased; provisions not made in the house; dainties achates acathisia a psychological condition characterised by agitation and a frequent desire to akathisia alter the posture acaudal tailless acaudate ecaudate acauline having a very short stem acaulose acaulous acca an academic acker accepter a person who accepts acceptor accessary accompanying, as a subordinate accessory accidia sloth; physical torpor accidie acedia accompt account; (verb) to account account accorage to encourage accourage encourage accouter to dress or equip, esp a warrior accoutre accrew to accrue accrue acerate of, like or resembling a needle acerated acerb bitter and sour acerbic acescence the act of turning sour, acetous fermentation acescency acetamid a white crystalline solid, derived from ammonia by replacement of an equivalent acetamide of hydrogen by acetyl acetose sour like vinegar acetous ach an interjection expressing regret or impatience och achaenium a small one-seeded fruit; a naked seed achene achenium akene ache a persistent dull pain; (verb) to be the site of this ake achieve to carry out successfully atchieve achoo an imitation of the sound of a sneeze ahchoo atishoo 5 achromic colourless achromous aciclovir a drug used in the treatment of herpes and HIV acyclovir acidulent having an acid quality acidulous acinar relating to an acinus, a berry which grows in clusters acinic acinose containing small seeds or drupes acinous ackee a small African sapindaceous tree; its edible fruit, often used in Caribbean akee cookery ackers money akkas acmatic relating to an acme, a peak acmic acolyte a faithful follower acolyth acouchi a relative of the agouti acouchy acquest a thing acquired; spec. property gained otherwise than by inheritance acquist acquight to acquit acquit acquite acrasia loss of self-control akrasia acridin a compound found in coal-tar acridine acronic occurring at nightfall or sunset (esp of the rising or setting of stars) acronical acronycal actinia a sea anemone of the genus Actinia; loosely any sea anemone actinian actinide any element of a group from element no. 89 (actinium) upwards actinoid acton a stuffed jacket worn under the mail hacqueton aculeate prickly; pointed; stinging; (noun) a stinging insect aculeated adamance the state of being adamant adamancy adapter something that adapts adaptor addable capable of being added addible addeem to award; to adjudge addoom addresser one who addresses addressor adhan the Muslim call to prayer, made five times a day by a muezzin 6 azan adipose of or pertaining to fatty substances adipous adjacence the state of being adjacent or contiguous adjacency adjurer one who adjures adjuror adjutage a tube added to or inserted into an aperture to control the outflow of water, ajutage as a pipe at the mouth of an artificial fountain admiral the chief commander of a navy; a naval officer of rank equivalent to a general ammiral in the army adobe an unburned, sun-dried brick made of clay and straw dobie doby adpress to press against appress adrad afraid adred adsuki a kind of bean, an Oriental food plant aduki adzuki azuki adunc hooked aduncate aduncated aduncous advance to move or cause to move ahead vaunce adventure to risk, to dare aventure avisement advisement vizament adviser one who advises advisor adward to award award adz a cutting tool with an arched blade set at right angles to the handle adze ae one yae aecidium a cup-shaped fructification in rust fungi aecium aedile in classical times, a magistrate in charge of games, markets or buildings edile aefald onefold or singular; simple; honest aefauld afald afawld aegirine a silicate of iron and sodium occurring in many alkaline igneous rocks aegirite aegis protection, patronage 7 egis aeglogue a pastoral poem, often in the form of a dialogue between shepherds eclogue aemule to emulate emulate emule aeneous of a shining bronze colour aeneus aeolian relating to, acted on by, or due to the agency of, the wind eolian aeolipile the first steam engine, with a globe made to revolve by steam jets, described aeolipyle in 1st century AD eolipile eolopile aeon the largest division of geological time, composed of several eras eon aeonian lasting for aeons, eternal aeonic eonian aerie a bird of prey's nest aery aiery