Winning words at the bee more D-I-F-F-I-C-U-L-T than ever

There once was a time when you could win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, now underway, by correctly spelling "initials."

Not anymore.

Last year, the co-champions won with "feuilleton" (the part of a European newspaper or magazine devoted to material designed to entertain the general reader, or a feature section) and "stichomythia" (dialogue especially of altercation or dispute delivered in alternating lines, as in classical Greek drama).

While winning words from the early days of the bee were relatively straightforward and not so esoteric, these days contestants must pore over dictionaries and study Latin and Greek roots.

In a post for the OxfordWords blog, Simon Horobin, an English professor at the University of Oxford, wrote of the contrast:

"In addition to their relative orthographic simplicity, these words also differ from more recent winning words in being ones that competitors are likely to have heard of and be able to spell without special study.

None of the recent winning words could be considered common, all are derived from foreign languages and belong to specialized and technical registers."

But this all a good thing because it just means the contestants are getting smarter.

"The spellers themselves are becoming more talented and more knowledgeable about the words," said Valerie Miller, a spokesperson for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. "As they elevate their game, we have to elevate our game as well."

Here's a look back at how the winning words at the spelling bee have evolved. See the full list online.

A new spelling bee champ will be crowned Thursday night. (Follow along, word by word, on Twitter.)

Winnings words of the spelling bee

• 1925 Gladiolus: A plant with long, stiff leaves and brightly colored flowers
• 1930 Fracas: A noisy argument or fight
• 1935 Intelligible: Able to be understood; especially: clear enough to be heard, read, etc.
• 1940 Therapy: The treatment of physical or mental illnesses
• 1945 No spelling bee
• 1950 Meticulosity: Strict attentiveness to what one is doing
• 1955 Crustaceology: The branch of zoology dealing with crustaceans
• 1960 Eudaemonic: Producing happiness: based on the idea of happiness as the proper end of conduct
• 1965 Eczema: A skin disease that causes areas of the skin to become red, rough and itchy
• 1970 Croissant: A type of roll that has a curved shape and that is usually eaten at breakfast
• 1975 Incisor: A tooth that has a sharp edge for biting : one of the four front teeth of the upper or lower jaw
• 1980 Elucubrate: To work out or express by studious effort
• 1985 Milieu: The physical or social setting in which people live or in which something happens or develops
• 1990 Fibranne: A fabric made of spun-rayon yarn
• 1995 Xanthosis: Yellow discoloration of the skin from abnormal causes; a virus disease of the strawberry plant characterized by crinkling and curling, yellowing and dwarfing of the leaves, and stunting of the entire plant
• 2000 Demarche: A course of action: maneuver; a diplomatic or political initiative or maneuver; a petition or protest presented through diplomatic channels
• 2001 (This is the year a Minnesotan, Sean Conley, won the title) Succedaneum: One that succeeds to the place of another
• 2005 Appoggiatura: An embellishing note or tone preceding an essential melodic note or tone and usually written as a note of smaller size
• 2010 Stromuhr: An instrument for measuring the flow of viscous substances.