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 a landmark AI lawsuit, a teenage saint, and the discovery of a surprisingly cute fish all contributed to the vocabulary from this week’s news.
anemic
adjective: lacking vigor or energy
From the headlines: A new Labor Department report showed anemic job growth for the fourth consecutive month. In August, the economy added just 22,000 positions — down 75 percent compared to the same month last year. Gains in health care employment were outweighed by losses in construction, manufacturing, and other sectors, leaving overall hiring sluggish.
assuage
verb: to provide physical relief, as from pain
From the headlines: Researchers exploring treatments for motion sickness discovered that cheerful music can assuage its effects. In a study using a driving simulator, 30 participants were exposed to conditions that triggered nausea and dizziness. When different types of music were played, upbeat songs relieved symptoms for 57 percent of the group, while sad music actually made people feel sicker.
Fun fact: Assuage shares an ancient root word with sweet.
canonize
verb: to declare someone an officially recognized saint
From the headlines: Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia at age 15 in 2006, has become the first Catholic saint of his generation. Thousands at the Vatican watched as Pope Leo XIV canonized the teen, nicknamed “God’s influencer.” Acutis was declared a saint after being credited with two miracles in which people who prayed to him were healed. Before his life was tragically cut short, Acutis gained renown for his website documenting Eucharistic miracles, and since then, many followers have traveled to his tomb in Assisi, Italy.
convey
verb: to carry, bring, or take from one place to another
From the headlines: Hikers climbing Colorado’s Huron Peak were surprised to see a man conveying ice cream sandwiches to the summit in a backpack. Adding to the surprise, he was dressed in an ice cream cone costume. Carrying dozens of frozen treats packed in dry ice, the anonymous climber delivered them to weary hikers at the 14,000-foot peak before climbing back down without giving anyone his name.
demolition
noun: the act of destroying completely
From the headlines: A Los Angeles house that once belonged to the actress Marilyn Monroe was saved from demolition. A two-year legal battle ended with a judge ruling that the current owners of the Spanish-style hacienda could not bulldoze it. After the Brentwood home was declared a historic cultural monument by the city council, the court ruled that its protected status meant it could not be demolished.
ichthyology
noun: the branch of zoology dealing with fish
From the headlines: The bumpy snailfish was one of three newly discovered deep-water fish species this summer. Studying the deepest part of the ocean is a high priority in ichthyology, as it remains mostly unexplored and full of potential discoveries. While many deep-sea fish have bizarre features that lead people to call them “monsters,” the bumpy snailfish observed at 10,000 feet below the surface were called “pretty adorable” by scientists, and described as having a “lovely little smile.”
infringement
noun: an act that disregards an agreement or a right
From the headlines: Anthropic AI will pay $1.5 billion to settle a copyright infringement lawsuit. The suit was brought by a group of authors who accused the company of training its language learning model using their copyrighted creative work. They say Anthropic violated copyright laws when it used millions of books to teach a chatbot without obtaining permission from their authors.
posthumously
adverb: after death
From the headlines: The Harlem Hellfighters of the New York National Guard’s 369th Infantry Regiment were posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. This majority-Black force fought valiantly in the trenches during World War I at a time when the U.S. military was still segregated. Though their courage went unrecognized for decades, they have now received the honor years after their passing. The granddaughter of Sgt. Leander Willett accepted the medal on behalf of the Harlem Hellfighters.
propulsion
noun: the act of moving forward
From the headlines: More than 90,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees were recalled because of a software error that could lead to a sudden loss of propulsion. The defect could cause the hybrid SUVs to abruptly lose the drive power they require to move forward, risking serious crashes. A Chrysler spokesperson said no injuries had been reported.
utopian
adjective: pertaining to or resembling an ideally perfect state
From the headlines: Plans are underway to mark Star Trek’s sixtieth anniversary next year. The “Space for Everybody” celebration will include a Rose Bowl parade float and an animated series. Fans of the utopian franchise attribute its lasting popularity to its unrelenting optimism and the vision of a perfect society where humans have, as one Star Trek character says, “eliminated hunger, want, and the need for possessions,” and are free to explore the cosmos.
