VOWEL DUMPS Short (4 of 4)
NOTE: This post relates to the “VOWEL DUMPS Short” (Beg. 1.5) word list or note sheet (see the Word List page).
This is my fourth post on the VOWEL DUMPS Short word list. I’m starting with word #69 (the first five-letter word on the list) and finishing the list out (down to word #89).
The first word is AALII. A good association here is AAL (remember, though, AAL is the shrub, add two Is and you get the tree). Everyone knows ADIEU, but did you know the plural is either ADIEUS or ADIEUX? AECIUM follows the UM-to-A pattern (most of the more well-known UM words both take an S to form the plural and follow the UM-to-A pattern, but not all UM words – AECIUM, for example, does NOT take an S (AECIUMS is NOT a word), unlike AQUARIUM that goes to either AQUARIUMS or AQUARIA in the plural.
AERIE is a great word. It has the same feel as its definition (lofty). AERIED is the related adjective. It has two alternate spellings: EYRIE and EYRY. There are a few interesting front hooks in this section of the list and the first of those hooks is off of AERIE:
FAERIE a fairy (an imaginary supernatural being) [n –S]
LAURA a type of monastery [n –RAS or –RAE]
PEERIE peery (a child’s toy) [n –S]
BLOOIE blooey (being out of order) [adj]
FLOOIE flooey (awry) [adj]
I get a lot of mileage out of AI and the idea of a three-toed sloth. Think of a three-toed sloth mixing up some garlic mayonnaise – that image should get the word AIOLI to stick (and help you remember out to spell it). The plural of AQUA is either AQUAS or AQUAE. AREA follows the same pattern (although, technically, the different plural derive from different definitions of the word, although the important point is the AREAS and AREAE are both acceptable plays), and so does AURA (AURAS or AURAE). There are a few words here that follow the US-to-I pattern in the plural: AUREUS (the plural is AUREI) and URAEUS (the plural is URAEI) – note that both of these words are anagrams of each other (just move the A). Also note that an ES can be also added to URAEUS to make it plural (URAEUSES) – this is NOT the case for AUREUS).
AURA has an interesting front hook: LAURA (LAURAS or LAURAE). A PEERIE is a child’s toy (a spinning toy – do a google image search if you’re curious; I thought maybe is was some kind of marble). BLOOIE and FLOOIE are both fun adjectives and should be easy to memorize. MIAOU (and it’s various spellings) were covered in a previous post on the VOWEL DUMPS Short list.
There is ODEUM, ODIUM, and OIDUM:
ODEUM a theater or concert hall [n ODEA or ODEUMS]
ODIUM hatred (intense dislike or aversion) [n –S]
OIDIUM a type of fungus (any of a major group of lower plants) [n OIDIA] : OIDIOID [adj]
The plural of ODEUM is either ODEA or ODEUMS. The other two words DO NOT follow this patterns (only na S for ODIUM and only the UM-to-A option for OIDIUM). OIDIUM is related to one of the funnest words in the Scrabble lexicon – OIDIOID (I haven’t been able to play it yet, but I’m hoping).
And that’s if for the VOWEL DUMP Short list (for now, at least).
