This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for July 12–July 18, 2026

In a tribute to the life of absurdist artist Wim T. Schippers, a Dutch museum spread 800 pounds of peanut butter across its floors. Schippers was well-known in the Netherlands, and widely adored for his work reflecting life's chaos and silliness, including 1969's Pindakaasvloer, or Peanut Butter Floor. The conceptual artist also voiced Kermit the Frog for the Dutch version of Sesame Street. Absurdist derives from a Latin root meaning "out of tune."

A rampaging bison in Yellowstone National Park seriously injured a man by tossing him eight feet into the air. Before attacking 65-year-old Carl Isom-McDaniel, the belligerent animal charged several other campers and tourists, including a group of teenagers. Rangers said the bull bison's agitation was likely due to surging hormones, and they warned park visitors to maintain safe distances from the animals. The Latin root of belligerent means "to wage war."

As the Japanese Hayabusa2 spacecraft flew past the near-Earth asteroid Torifune, it took several photographs. When astronomers examined the images, they were surprised to learn that Torifune was actually two conjoined asteroids, known as a "contact binary." These connected asteroid pairs are extremely rare; normally, any meetup between two of the space rocks results in at least one of them being smashed into pieces. Conjoined is from a Latin root meaning "joined together."

An archaeologist in Northern England discovered an ancient stone carving of a figure holding a cornucopia. The 1,600-year-old sculpture depicts a Roman garden spirit with a bowl in one hand and a horn-shaped basket in the other. The horn of plenty signified wealth and abundance, and garden spirits were honored with ritual gifts of food and wine. Cornucopia's Latin root, cornu copiae, "horn of plenty," referred to the goat who nurtured the infant Zeus.

After 200 kids and counselors were rescued from a flooded Missouri summer camp, some campers reported being exhilarated by the airlift. While some of those stranded at Camp Taum Sauk after historic rainfall were shaken by the experience, many spoke excitedly about it. One nine-year-old said it was "really, really fun," adding, "We got to go on a Black Hawk. It was very loud and very cool and fast!" Exhilarated is from Latin roots meaning "thoroughly" and "make cheerful."

Residents of a small Australian town were flummoxed when six mysterious metal spheres washed ashore on Forrest Beach in Queensland. Observers said the bewildering objects resembled giant silver basketballs, with no markings or identifying details. Local police cordoned off the beach in case the spheres were explosive, warning mystified locals to keep their distance. After several days, the country's space agency said the objects "appear to be pressure vessels from a space launch vehicle."

The world's largest steam locomotive is traveling across the country as part of the United States' 250th anniversary celebrations. After heading from Wyoming to Pennsylvania, the historic Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 railway engine turned back, making stops in Ohio and Missouri this week. It was the train's first trip to the Northeast since it was built in 1941 in Schenectady, New York. Locomotive is from Latin loco, "from a place," and motivus, "moving."

A team of South Carolina honeybee inspectors is working to defend the state's bees against a murderous invasion of yellow-legged hornets. The rapacious insects are native to Southeast Asia. Since first appearing in the state three years ago, they have greedily fed on everything from discarded oyster shells to deer carcasses — but they have an especially voracious appetite for honeybees. The bee protectors are fighting back by tracking the hornets and carefully removing their nests.

Prince Harry, his wife Meghan Markle, and their children met for the first time in years with King Charles III and Queen Camilla, signalling a rapprochement. In 2020, Meghan and Harry gave up their official titles and moved to the U.S., remaining estranged from the king ever since. The meeting this week seemed to be a first step toward reconciliation between Charles and Harry. In French, rapprochement means "reunion," and also has the literal meaning "a bringing near."

Scientists are studying an unusually long-lived mouse in the hopes of eventually helping people live longer and remain healthy and active into old age. New research shows the golden spiny mouse, which tends to maintain excellent health well into its senescence, contains high levels of a protein that's also associated with longevity in humans. The Latin source of senescence is senescere, "to grow old," from the root senex, "old."