“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”
— Marianne Williamson, “Return to Love” (1992)
(Quoted by Nelson Mandela, 1994)
🐝 Akeelah and the Bee
The movie tells the story of Akeelah Anderson, an 11-year-old girl from Los Angeles, who is bright and talented, especially when it comes to words! However, she comes from a dysfunctional family and is on the verge of quitting school. With the help of her community, we watch her journey to the National Spelling Bee. Along the way, she learns to believe in herself, work hard, and never give up.
From a language learning perspective, the film offers a wonderful chance to
- expand vocabulary
- practice spelling in a fun way
- understand the origin of words and how languages are connected
- appreciate how Greek continues to enrich the English language today
- explore themes such as self-confidence, diversity, fair play and respect for others
Spelling Bee winning words that are of Greek origin
Greek-origin winning words (chronological)
- 1936 — eczema
- 1940 — therapy
- 1946 — semaphore (sēma “sign” + phoros “bearing”)
- 1947 — chlorophyll ( chlōros “green” + phyllon “leaf”)
- 1948 — psychiatry ( psychē “mind” + iatreia “healing”)
- 1958 — syllepsis
- 1960 — eudaemonic ( eu “good” + daimōn)
- 1961 — smaragdine (
- 1964 — sycophant
- 1965 — eczema
- 1974 — hydrophyte ( hydro “water” + phyton “plant”) Wikipedia
- 1976 — narcolepsy
- 1981 — sarcophagus
- 1982 — psoriasis
- 1986 — odontalgia (odont- “tooth” + -algia “pain”)
- 1987 — staphylococci
- 1991 — antipyretic ( anti “against” + pyretos “fever”)
- 1992 — lyceum
- 1995 — xanthosis (xanthos “yellow)
- 1997 — euonym (eu “good” + onyma “name”)
- 1999 — logorrhea (logos “word, speech” + rhein “to flow”)
- 2004 — autochthonous (autochthōn “native”)
- 2009 — Laodicean
- 2011 — cymotrichous (kyma “wave” + thrix “hair”)
- 2014 — stichomythia
- 2018 — koinonia
- 2023 — psammophile (psammos “sand” + philos “loving, friend”)
🏛️ Greek and English: Language Rules and Connections
💬 1. Many English words come from Greek
Thousands of English words have Greek roots — especially in science, art, and philosophy.
🔹 Example: biology (bios = life), geography (geo = earth), democracy (demos = people).
🔤 2. Greek prefixes and suffixes help you understand meaning
Learning common Greek prefixes (like tele- = far, auto- = self) and suffixes (like -logy = study, -phobia = fear) makes it easier to guess what a word means.
🔹 Example: telephone → tele (far) + phone (sound).
📚 3. Spelling can show Greek origin
Greek-origin words often contain:
- ph for the /f/ sound (philosophy, photograph)
- ch for the /k/ sound (chorus, character)
- y instead of i (system, symbol).
🧠 4. Greek helps build English vocabulary
When you understand Greek roots, you can recognize families of words and learn new words faster.
🔹 Example: “photo” appears in photograph, photocopy, photosynthesis.
Dev Shah wins Spelling Bee with Greek-origin word “psammophile” (2023)
- Part of speech: noun
- Οrigin : Greek psammos-άμμος (sand), phile- φίλος (friend, lover)
- Definition: an organism that prefers or thrives in sandy soils or areas
- Sentence: Any psammophile such as cactus would flourish in Arizona dessert.
