A word square is a puzzle that involves arranging words in a grid so that they're the same horizontally and vertically. Finding a perfect 10-word square in English has been an open problem for over a century. This repository provides a solution to this problem using a novel algorithm that significantly reduces the search space. For more information about the algorithm and the solution, see the publication and code in the repository.
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| Word | Description & reference |
|---|---|
| scapharcae | adj. specific epithet of bacterium name Ornithinibacillus scapharcae [1] |
| cerrateana | adj. specific epithet of a plant name Pitcairnia cerrateana [2] |
| argoletier | noun (obsolete, military) a light mounted soldier; a mounted bowman [3] |
| procolicin | noun a propeptide form of colicin [4] |
| haloborate | noun a type of inorganic compound [5] |
| atelomeres | adj. specific epithet of moth name Ectropis atelomeres [2] |
| retirement | noun withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from active working life [6] |
| caicarense | adj. specific epithet of plant name Machaerium caicarense [2] |
| aneitensis | adj. specific epithet of tree fern name Alsophila aneitensis [2] |
| earnestest | adj. (now rare) superlative form of earnest [7] |
References:
- Shin, NR, et al. (2012). Ornithinibacillus scapharcae sp. nov., isolated from a dead ark clam. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, 101(1), 147-154. doi:10.1007/s10482-011-9645-3.
- Catalogue of Life Checklist (2023). Retrieved March 26, 2023, from https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/download.
- Wiktionary. (2022). argoletier. Retrieved May 6, 2023, from https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/argoletier.
- Horn, N., Fernández, A., Dodd, H.M., Gasson, M.J., Rodríguez, J.M. (2004). Nisin-controlled production of pediocin PA-1 and colicin V in nisin- and non-nisin-producing Lactococcus lactis strains. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 70(8), 5030-5032. doi: 10.1128/AEM.70.8.5030-5032.2004.
- Ahmed, I. Y., & Schmulbach, C. D. (1969). Conductance of some haloborate and boronium salts in acetonitrile at 25.deg. Inorganic Chemistry, 8(7), 1411-1413. doi:10.1021/ic50077a008
- Merriam-Webster. (2023). Retirement. Retrieved May 6, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retirement
- Wiktionary. (2022). earnestest. Retrieved May 6, 2023, from https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/earnestest