This Week's Theme: Find it! 2006-05

It's that time of the year again when you get to don your word-sleuth hat.

There's something common among this week's words but we're not telling --it's your task to find the property that applies to all five words this week. Each day this week brings a new word that on the surface may not appear to share a trait with the others, but does. Will you be first to solve the mystery theme?
Monday, 8 April 2006
aphotic

(ay-FO-tik)
adjective

Lightless, especially without sunlight.

[From Greek a- (not) + phot- (light). Ultimately from Indo-European root bha- (to shine) that's also the source of beacon, beckon, phantom, phenomenon, and phosphorous.]
The aphotic zone of an ocean or lake is the part that's not exposed to sunlight. At such depths plants grow without photosynthesis.

Tuesday, 9 May 2006
plashy

(PLASH-ee)
adjective

1. Marshy; watery; full of puddles.
2. Splashy.

[From Middle English plasch (pool), probably of imitative origin.]

Wednesday, 10 April 2006
procellous

(pro-SEL-uhs)
adjective

Stormy, as the sea.

[From Latin procellosus (stormy), from procella (storm).]

Thursday, 11 May 2006
scrabble

(SKRAB-uhl)
verb tr., intr.

1. To scratch or scrape, as with claws or hands.
2. To struggle to obtain something not easily available.
3. To climb over something hastily or clumsily.
4. To scribble.

noun

The act of scratching, scraping, struggling, scribbling, climbing, etc. frantically, desperately, or with difficulty.

[From Dutch schrabbelen, from schrabben (to scrape or scratch).]

Friday, 12 May 2006
balsamic

(bal-SAM-ik)
adjective

1. Fragrant.
2. Soothing or healing.
3. Relating to balsam.

[From Latin balsamum, from Greek balsamon.]

Balsam is any of several aromatic plant resins. Balsamic vinegar, named for its supposed health-giving properties, is a dark, sweet and sour vinegar traditionally made in the Modena region in Italy. It's made from white grapes and matured in wooden casks over several years.

PS: We hope you found this week's five words (aphotic, plashy, procellous, scrabble, balsamic) valuable, but what's the property that makes them all equal?

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