This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for November 29–December 5, 2025

Nearly two years after a South Korean security guard was accused of stealing snacks from an office refrigerator, a judge declared him innocent of the crime. His employer said that because he was a subcontractor, not a company employee, he wasn't entitled to the choco pie and mini custard cake that the man claimed he had been offered by office workers. Many South Koreans were angry that the security guard was tried on such a minor charge, and his acquittal was widely celebrated.

In a study of how neural wiring changes over a lifetime, scientists identified what they described as five epochs of brain development. After comparing brain scans of 4,000 people between the ages of one and 90, researchers sorted them into phases based on distinct "turning points" at around age nine, 32, 66, and 83. They labeled the five eras childhood, adolescence, adulthood, early aging, and late aging. Epoch derives from the Greek epokhe, "fixed point in time."

After years of fundraising, Andy and Sharon Longhurst were finally able to open the hedgehog rescue and treatment center of their dreams. The Scottish couple transformed their small facility, the Burntisland Hedgehog Haven, from a room in their house to a shelter with 40 cages. It also has an ICU for the small, spiky mammals that need extra care. Hedgehogs are threatened in the UK, and the slow-moving, brown animals are particularly vulnerable to being hit by cars at night.

The Supreme Court heard a billion-dollar case that will decide whether internet providers are liable for their users' copyright violations. Specifically, the justices considered arguments that providers should be held legally responsible when they don't cut off internet access to customers who illegally download music. Lawyers representing music labels argued that the practice robs musicians of their rights. Liable, "bound by law," is from the Latin ligare, "to bind."

Meteorologists were surprised that an AI weather model did the most accurate job of forecasting hurricanes this year. For example, human forecasters were uncertain when and where Hurricane Melissa, which turned out to be the year's most destructive storm, would make landfall. But Google's DeepMind meteorology model got it exactly right, accurately predicting that Melissa would be a powerful, Category 5 hurricane. The AI model also accurately projected the storm's precise path.

Supporters of Japan's Princess Aiko want to change Japan's succession law, which only allows a man to become the country's monarch. Under this old rule, Aiko can't inherit the crown from her father, Emperor Naruhito. Instead, his teenaged nephew, Prince Hisahito, is next in line for the throne. The princess is so beloved that many are seeking to change the law, but conservative lawmakers oppose the change. The Greek root of monarch is monarkhēs, "one who rules alone."

Iran is seeing a dramatic change in social mores. Just five years ago, bans on dancing, house parties, and women having uncovered hair in public were being brutally enforced. While the current government doesn't allow political dissent, it is being more lenient about social behavior. Young people are defying former taboos, holding concerts and dance parties. And more young women are leaving their heads uncovered and socializing with men. Mores is Latin, meaning "customs."

Scientists are closer to understanding how our bodies use a fever to fight off pathogens. A new study suggests that an elevated body temperature in itself can be enough to resist certain germs. Researchers infected laboratory mice with a flu virus and observed that mice kept at high temperatures didn't get sick, while those in normal room temperature conditions were vulnerable to the pathogen. The Greek root of pathogen is pathos, "disease."

NASA astronauts on the International Space Station were treated to a sumptuous Thanksgiving meal last week. The space agency sent a resupply mission that included luxurious food, such as smoked salmon, oysters, and quail. The three NASA astronauts shared their feast, which also included turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy, with three Russian cosmonauts and one Japanese astronaut. Sumptuous is from the Latin sumptuosus, "lavish."

Torrential rainfall and massive flooding in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia caused over 1,100 deaths, and hundreds of people are still missing. Millions were displaced by a combination of powerful monsoons and tropical storms, which brought unusually heavy rain that flooded vast areas and led to landslides. Torrential comes from torrent, "violent stream of water," and its Latin root torrentem, "rushing or roaring."