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 frogs, flowers, and federal funding all contributed to the vocabulary from this week’s news.
abscond
verb: to depart in a sudden and secret manner, especially to avoid capture and legal prosecution
From the headlines: Brazil’s supreme court has placed former president Jair Bolsonaro under house arrest ahead of his trial for an alleged coup attempt. The presiding justice cited Bolsonaro’s disregard for orders to stay off social media and the possibility that he could abscond. To prevent any escape, authorities confiscated his phone, assigned guards, and restricted him to his mansion. Bolsonaro is accused of plotting to retain power after losing the 2022 election.
amphibian
noun: a cold-blooded vertebrate in which the larvae are typically aquatic and the adults are typically terrestrial or semiterrestrial
From the headlines: Researchers in the Andes mountains in Peru discovered three entirely new frog species. A team of herpetologists spent three years trekking through remote areas of the Cordillera de Huancabamba, where they searched for amphibians at night using headlamps. Ultimately, their expedition was successful — the scientists confirmed the discovery of three previously undocumented frogs.
conduit
noun: any means of transmission or conveyance, as of resources or information
From the headlines: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is set to close after losing its federal funding. Since 1967, the nonprofit has served as a conduit for government support to NPR, PBS, and other public media. This funding stream helped sustain everything from educational shows and classical music broadcasts to news coverage and emergency alerts. Numerous radio stations, especially in rural areas, warn they won’t be able to stay afloat without the CPB.
divert
verb: to draw off to a different course, purpose, etc.
From the headlines: A new type of home siding is being made from rice hulls, a byproduct of food production, instead of traditional wood. This eco-friendly alternative not only helps conserve trees but also diverts rice hulls from landfills. Once seen as agricultural waste, these tough, inedible husks are now being processed at mills, where they’re ground up, combined with adhesive, and shaped into durable siding panels.
mariner
noun: a person who directs or assists in the navigation of a ship
From the headlines: The 2,000 lighthouses along Norway’s 60,000-mile coast are being updated. The country is improving its navigational beacons to comply with the international maritime association that sets standards for lighthouses. Although modern mariners navigate using radar and satellite data, sailors also rely on old-fashioned lighthouses as a consistent visual indicator of where the coastline is, especially in poor weather.
proxy
adjective: having the agency, function, or power of a person authorized to act as the deputy or substitute for another
From the headlines: In Japan, a new service is offering older women the chance to earn income by acting as surrogate grandmothers. Often hired by individuals who lack close family or live far from home, these women fill the role of a grandmother by offering emotional support, guidance, and homey touches like cooking and cleaning. As stand-in family members, these proxy grandmas bring comfort and care to those who need it.
quorum
noun: the number of members of a group or organization required to be present to transact business legally
From the headlines: In a protest against a Republican-backed redistricting proposal, Texas House Democrats broke quorum by fleeing the state ahead of the scheduled vote. State law requires two-thirds of House members to be present to conduct official business, and by keeping at least fifty-one members away, the chamber’s Democrats are blocking the proceedings. Their aim is to delay the governor’s push to redraw congressional districts in a way that could add up to five Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
silt
noun: earthy matter, fine sand, or the like carried by moving or running water and deposited as a sediment
From the headlines: For the first time in three decades, lotus flowers bloomed in a lake in the Kashmir Valley. Wular Lake has been the site of intense conservation efforts by the government of India in the last five years. A longstanding local tradition of harvesting lotus stems was brought to a halt after 1992 floods filled the lake with silt, killing the plants. Over 10 million cubic yards of the muddy sediment has been removed since 2020, increasing the lake’s depth and allowing lotus flowers to flourish once again.
tsunami
noun: an unusually large sea wave produced by a significant geological event
From the headlines: An earthquake in Russia, one of the strongest ever recorded, triggered several volcanic eruptions and a series of tsunami warnings. The Pacific coasts of Japan, Hawaii, and the Kamchatka Peninsula all experienced a series of measurably larger waves, with surf that measured as high as thirteen feet pounding Russia’s coast.
wasting
adjective: gradually reducing the fullness and strength of the body
From the headlines: Researchers found the cause of a mysterious illness that affects starfish, a discovery that could help scientists protect the five-armed marine animals. These star-shaped invertebrates have been devastated by a wasting disease in the last decade, which is now known to be caused by a bacterium.
