| 1 | aeromancy | Divination by air, including augury; passing in the 17th century into the idea of meteorology and weather-casting. | |
| 2 | ephemeral | Living or lasting only for a day, as certain plants or insects do. | |
| 3 | kabuki | A popular Japanese drama with all-male casts. Elaborate costumes, stylized gestures. | |
| 4 | sachet | A small packet of perfumed powder used to scent clothes, as in trunks or closets. | |
| 5 | sashay | To strut or flounce in a showy manner: | |
| 6 | bonhomie | Frank and simple good-heartedness. | |
| 7 | scintillate | To throw sparks. Sparkle. To converse in a lively and brilliant way. | |
| 8 | diaphanous | Of such fine texture as to be transparent or translucent. | |
| 9 | halcyon | Prosperous. Tranquil. Also: a kingfisher. | |
| 10 | Pyrrhic | Your entry does not have to be capitalized, although the word comes from a name: Pyrrhus, king of Epirus (in Greece), 319-272, defeated the Romans at Heraclea in 280 and Asculum in 279, although huge numbers of his soldiers died. | Of a victory: soured by staggering losses. |
| 11 | nadir | Astronomy. A point on the celestial sphere opposite the zenith. We are at the nadir of this round. It should go up from here. | |
| 12 | cosine | In a right triangle, the ratio of the length of an acute-angle side to the hypotenuse. | |
| 13 | renown | Fame. The Stein Club Spelling Bee's renown is great. | |
| 14 | traipse | Gad about. Tramp about. Walk about. | |
| 15 | paean | also
acceptable (albeit distinctly unpraiseworty):
pean Properly, pæan |
A song of joyful praise or exultation. Especially to Apollo. |
| 16 | verdigris | A green patina or crust of copper sulfate or copper chloride formed on copper, brass, and bronze after eons of exposure. | |
| 17 | tchotchke | alternate
(acceptable) spellings: chachka chotchke |
A cheap, showy trinket. |
| 18 | wreak | To bring about, cause, as havoc. | |
| 19 | karaoke | An audio-visual system that plays an accompaniment to a song performed by following the words on a video screen. | |
| 20 | Hogmanay | The eve of New Year's Day, on which children traditionally go from house to house asking for oatmeal cookies. |