This is a synonym for protolanguage, meaning:

A language that is the recorded or hypothetical ancestor of another language or group of languages.

It is also the word spelled correctly by Katharine Close, an eighth grader from Spring Lake NJ, to win last night’s prime-time Spelling Bee presentation. She won some $42,000 in cash and prizes for her efforts. CNN coverage here.

According to the article:

Even gamblers got into the act, putting money down on questions including whether the final word would have an “e” in it and whether the winner would wear glasses.

Simon Noble, CEO of PinnacleSports.com, said his offshore Internet sports betting company had received about $70,000 in wagers on seven propositions about the bee as of noon Thursday.

What a country, eh? With the money, the gambling, what’s next? The winner appearing in promotional campaigns (for dictionaries, perhaps)? Will she need to hire an agent? Or maybe future entrants will be required to submit to drug tests for the presence of caffeine (helps them stay up to study, thereby rendering an unfair advantage).

The runner up was eliminated on the word weltschmerz, which I think I’ll incorporate into my vocabulary. Being a man of constant sorrows, I like the meaning of weltschmerz:

Sadness over the evils of the world, especially as an expression of romantic pessimism.

-k-

PS: If there are any misspellings in the above, they are typos. Right.

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