This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for January 3–January 9, 2026

Winter storms in California are calming fears of extreme drought this year. Meteorologists caution that it's too early to assume there will be enough rain to avoid drought, since the state's rainy season lasts until late February. Still, the unusually wet winter has allayed the concerns of many Californians about water supply in the hot summer months. Allay derives from the Old English alecgan, "lessen," from roots meaning "to lay down."

A new exhibition at Ottawa's National Gallery of Canada includes 164 brumal-themed artworks from around the world. The pieces in Winter Count: Embracing the Cold vary greatly, including both historic and contemporary work in media ranging from painting and sculpture to clothing and teepee covers. What they have in common is a depiction of winter, specifically the coldest, snowiest parts of the season. The Latin bruma, "winter solstice," is the root of brumal.

Texas Tech signed center Stephanie Okechukwu, who at seven feet, one inch tall is the tallest player in women’s college basketball history. She is also admired as a supremely deft athlete, an agile ball-handler who's as proficient at passing and rebounding as she is at dunking. Okechukwu towers over the previous tallest women's basketball players, Nicole Dominguez of Middle Tennessee State and Abbie Boutilier of Eastern Illinois, who are both six feet, 10 inches tall.

Experts are praising Finland's model of teaching media literacy, including the ability to recognize disinformation, to kids as young as three years old. Skills used to spot deliberately fake news stories are incorporated into the curriculum starting in preschool. Teaching students to watch out for deceptive messages is part of a national effort to combat Russian propaganda. Disinformation is an English translation of the Russian dezinformatsiya.

Twenty-nine bomb-sniffing dogs received an award from New Jersey's attorney general for their work on election day, when they swept multiple bomb threat sites. The dogs' work was so efficacious that the threatened polling places were rarely closed for longer than 30 minutes. The labs, German shepherds, golden retrievers, and Belgian Malinois were praised for addressing threats swiftly and efficiently. The Latin root of efficacious means "powerful or efficient."

Twins Eric and Matthew Gilbertson embarked on a project to measure the elevation of mountains around the world after realizing that many of their heights had been incorrectly calculated. The brothers, both mechanical engineers, gradually discovered the errors during multiple climbing trips. Surveying equipment showed that some of the peaks they measured were taller than previously documented, while others had lower elevations. The Gilbertsons hope to correct the official record.

Fans of a popular cupcake vending machine company are lamenting its closure. According to the former owner of Sprinkles Cupcakes, which became well known for dispensing baked treats from kiosks resembling ATMs, the 20-year-old business shuttered at the end of December. Devotees mourned the loss of easily accessible cupcakes at malls and airports across the country. Lament is derived from the Latin lamentum, "a wailing or moaning."

A paraplegic engineer became the first wheelchair user in space. Michaela Benthaus, who lost the use of her legs after a bicycle accident, traveled beyond Earth's atmosphere in a spacecraft with five other passengers. The capsule was designed to be accessible to people with disabilities, and Benthaus was able to float and turn freely during the 10-minute flight. The Greek paraplēgia, "paralysis of one side of the body," is the source of paraplegic.

Coins that have been redesigned in honor of the country's 250th birthday are now in circulation. The United States Mint revamped dimes, quarters, and half dollars to feature early presidents and pilgrims, as well as images of the Mayflower, the Gettysburg Address, and the Statue of Liberty. Planning for the updated and redesigned coins began in 2021. Revamp originally meant "patch a shoe," from vamp, "upper part of a shoe or boot."

The Chinese company BYD has surpassed Tesla as the world's leader in electric car sales. Since October, when the U.S. eliminated federal tax credits for people who purchase electric vehicles, sales have fallen sharply. Tesla, the country's largest producer of EVs, saw its sales decline by 9 percent in 2025. While Tesla sold a total of 1.64 million cars last year, BYD sold more than two million. The French root of surpass is surpasser, "go beyond."