News from February 21–February 27, 2026
Each week, we scan the latest headlines to spot words in action. From major news stories to pop culture buzz, this feature highlights language as it’s unfolding. Stories about gold medals, chatty chickens, and going with the “floe” all contributed to the vocabulary from this week’s news.
contingent
noun: a gathering of persons representative of a larger group
From the headlines: A new contract agreement promising pay increases and additional job security prompted the final contingent of striking nurses in New York City to return to their jobs. The strike, which began in January, involved roughly 15,000 nurses across multiple hospitals. More than 4,000 nurses at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia made up the last contingent still on strike after others had resumed work. These nurses said the deal marked a major victory for both staff and patients.
dauntless
adjective: invulnerable to fear or intimidation
From the headlines: The U.S. women’s ice hockey team, which has earned a medal at every Winter Olympics since the sport’s Olympic debut in 1998, won gold after a dauntless performance in overtime. Team USA held firm against Canada, a rival that has claimed gold in five of the last eight Games. The Americans battled back to tie the game in the third period and, 4 minutes into a tense overtime, scored the decisive goal.
dearth
noun: an insufficient quantity or number
From the headlines: With the U.S. facing both an oversupply of office space and a dearth of housing, some developers are repurposing vacant buildings into residences. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, office vacancy rates have hovered around 20 percent nationwide. Meanwhile, the housing shortage has reached critical levels, with as many as 7 million additional units needed. Although converting offices into homes won’t fully resolve the crisis, the process can be quicker and more cost-effective than constructing new homes from scratch.
floe
noun: a flat mass of ice drifting at sea
From the headlines: Five people had to be rescued from an ice floe in a Swedish archipelago on February 22. The stranded individuals were German tourists who had attempted to build a floating sauna on the flat chunk of ice. Their experiment, which included propelling the floe using an outboard motor, was foiled when a passing ferry broke the ice and they lost control of the unconventional vessel.
gulag
noun: a Soviet Russian prison camp for political prisoners
From the headlines: Moscow’s Gulag History Museum, which has documented Stalin’s forced labor camps since it opened in 2001, is being replaced by a new museum focused on Nazi war crimes. The move comes as the Russian government increasingly downplays the violence inflicted on citizens by the Soviet Union, including in its notorious prison camps.
linguist
noun: a specialist in the study of language
From the headlines: In a new study, linguists found that baby chickens respond to the “bouba-kiki” effect in much the same way humans do, linking “bouba” with rounded shapes and “kiki” with sharp ones. Although researchers are not suggesting that chicks possess language, they say the results point to a shared perceptual tendency shaped by evolution. This underlying instinct, the linguists note, may have been adapted by humans as part of the process of developing language.
mayhem
noun: violent and needless disturbance
From the headlines: After Mexican officials killed the head of the country’s most powerful criminal organization, waves of mayhem and violence erupted across several cities. Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, led a notorious Mexican drug cartel. His death, from injuries during a military raid targeting him, triggered chaos across the state of Jalisco, with armed cartel members setting cars and buildings on fire as tourists and residents took shelter indoors.
restorative
adjective: promoting good health or recuperation
From the headlines: Since the town of Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada, switched from punishing criminals to a restorative justice model, only one person has gone on to re-offend. The program allows offenders to take responsibility for their actions by meeting with their victims, which empowers and helps victims recover, and gives offenders a chance to improve their lives. Many locals say the model has “healed the whole community.”
treacherous
adjective: dangerously unstable and unpredictable
From the headlines: A powerful blizzard swept across the East Coast this week, creating treacherous conditions and widespread disruption. The storm’s historic snowfall, which reached up to three feet in some locations, forced millions to remain home from work and school, as roads became too hazardous for travel. Strong winds reduced visibility and drove wind chills to dangerous levels. Hundreds of vehicles were left stranded, and heavy, wet snow toppled trees and power lines across southern New England, cutting electricity to more than 600,000 people.
unparalleled
adjective: remarkably distinctive and without equal
From the headlines: Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won six gold Olympic medals at Milano Cortina 2026, an unparalleled achievement in the history of the Winter Games. Before Klæbo’s victory in the 50-kilometer marathon event, American speed skater Eric Heiden had held the record for the most gold medals in a single Winter Olympics since 1980. The unprecedented achievement boosts Klæbo’s total number of golds to eleven.
