News from September 19–September 25, 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 daylight saving time, a new cat species, and Fat Bear Week all contributed to the vocabulary from this week’s news.
bistro
noun: a small, modest restaurant or café
From the headlines: As cafés and restaurants close in rural communities across France, the mayor of one small village stepped in to preserve its last bistro. Residents of Saint-Martin-sur-Ouanne had come to depend on Au Bon Accueil after the local bakery closed several years earlier. After the bistro closed for several months, local officials used public funds to help renovate and reopen it.
centenarian
noun: a person who has reached the age of 100
From the headlines: For the first time, Japan has more than 100,000 centenarians, according to data from the country’s health ministry. Women account for 88% of the 107,677 people age 100 or older, including 114-year-old Kyoto resident Fuyo Kishimoto, believed to be Japan’s oldest living person. Experts attribute the country’s high life expectancy in part to accessible healthcare, healthy eating habits, and active lifestyles.
eradicate
verb: to remove or destroy utterly
From the headlines: Chile became the first South American country to eradicate dog-transmitted rabies. The nation was recognized by the World Health Organization for eliminating the disease after 50 years without a single human case. Chilean investment in public health efforts to end the spread of rabies from dogs to humans included well-funded and widespread canine vaccination programs.
feline
noun: an animal of the cat family
From the headlines: Scientists have identified a new species of wild cat for the first time in over a century. Found only in Bolivia’s Yungas cloud forest, the spotted feline, named Leopardus tilcayo, belongs to a group of South American cats known as “tiger cats.” The newly recognized species weighs about three pounds, making it smaller than the average domestic cat.
governess
noun: a woman who is employed to care for and instruct a child in a household
From the headlines: On September 20, the Sound of Music Salzburg opened in Austria. It’s the first museum dedicated to the 1965 movie musical, which stars Julie Andrews as a young governess who is hired to care for and teach the seven von Trapp children, and falls in love with their taciturn father. Based on a true story, the action takes place against a backdrop of Austria’s 1938 annexation by Nazi Germany. The museum is housed in the 17th-century Hellbrunn Palace, where scenes from the movie were filmed.
inflation
noun: a persistent, substantial rise in the general level of prices
From the headlines: For the first time since 2023, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates, to a range of between 3.75% and 4%. The quarter percentage point increase can raise borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards. The move is intended to push down the moderately high rate of inflation. Prices have been rising over the past year, fueled in part by overseas conflicts and expensive oil and gas.
perpetual
adjective: continuing or enduring forever
From the headlines: Manitoba became the latest Canadian province to abandon the practice of changing the clocks twice a year, instead opting for perpetual daylight saving time. Rather than falling back and springing forward every six months, Manitobans will stay on permanent summer time. A recent poll found that 92% of respondents wanted to ditch seasonal clock changes: 58% supported continual daylight saving time, while 34% preferred standard time year-round.
rotund
adjective: plump or fat
From the headlines: Fat Bear Week returned with 16 rotund contenders, compared with 12 in last year’s contest. Fans vote online for their favorite among the famously plump brown bears of Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve, which are packing on weight ahead of hibernation. Among this year’s contenders is Chunk, last year’s champion, who is estimated to weigh about 1,200 pounds.
setback
noun: a reverse or defeat
From the headlines: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his center-right party faced a major setback in recent state elections. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Merz’s Christian Democratic Union received just 5% of the total vote, while the anti-migration right-wing Alternative for Germany gained over 38%. The chancellor’s party finished second in a Berlin vote, just behind the Left party. Merz vowed to continue his government’s policies despite the defeats.
sovereignty
noun: government free from external control
From the headlines: The United States and Denmark reached an agreement that affirms the sovereignty of Denmark and Greenland while allowing a larger U.S. military presence on the island. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the deal preserves the “right of self-determination” for Denmark and Greenland, which is a semi-autonomous territory within the Danish Realm.
