Mira Dedhia, speller 75, knew her word - ferriferous - came from the Latin root word for iron.
It was so specific, in fact, that that's its definition: containing iron.
Mira, an Illinois eighth grader, tied for 46th place last year.
Her mother, Lekshmi Nair, was also in the Bee. She competed in 1988, 1989 and 1990,
