Murraya: Here's what the winning word at the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee means

Eleven students competed in the 93rd annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in Orlando, Florida on Thursday. 

But Zaila Avant-garde, 14, from New Orleans, won the Scripps Cup after spelling "Murraya." You might be wondering, what does Murraya mean? 

Murraya is "a genus of tropical Asiatic and Australian trees having pinnate leaves and flowers with imbricated petals," according to Spelling Bee officials.

The winning word came after the runner up, Chaitra Thummala, 12, from San Francisco, misspelled the compound word "neroli oil."

After correctly spelling "Murraya," Avant-garde took home $50,000, the Scripps Cup and a slate of other prizes.

A historic spelling bee returns

In 2020, the spelling bee was canceled for the first time since 1945 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This year, students competed remotely in each stage of the Spelling Bee, before the finalists came together at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney Resort.

More than 200 students first entered the competition. The eleven finalists are from across the country and beyond, hailing from Nassau, The Bahamas to North Carolina, Texas, California and more. 

'These kids have so much courage'

First lady Jill Biden attended this year's final. After congratulating the contestants, Biden revealed that, at her own spelling bee in sixth grade, she told her mother that she was too sick to attend the competition because she was "scared to get up in front of everyone."

"These kids have so much courage, and I really admire them," the first lady said.