This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 10–October 16, 2026

A small statue that was sold for $400 by a salvage yard in England turned out to be a rare 18th-century artifact. While the seller assumed it was a concrete lawn ornament, the buyer suspected he'd found a valuable relic and had it appraised. The marble figure depicting Pope Clement XII was made by Pietro Bracci, the Italian sculptor responsible for the Trevi Fountain. Artifact is from Latin roots arte, "by skill," and factum, "thing made."

Dozens of growers competed at the 53rd World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California, on October 12. A horticulture teacher from Anoka, Minnesota, took the top prize with a pumpkin that weighed 2,389 pounds and had a circumference of more than 19 feet. Fifth-time champion Travis Gienger hauled his gargantuan orange squash 2,000 miles to vie for the title. The Latin roots of circumference are circum, "around," and ferre, "to carry."

The Indian government cracked down on protests against India's Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision, detaining thousands of young demonstrators. The commission's removal of 130 million names from voter rolls over the past year has disenfranchised millions of people, according to protestors. New voting rules require documents that the poorest citizens are often unable to produce, robbing them of their right to cast a ballot.

With the help of zoo staff, a flamboyance of flamingos took shelter in a bathroom at ZooWorld in Panama City Beach, Florida, when Hurricane Isaias hit the coast. The group of 30 long-necked and long-legged pink birds was hustled into the snug space, honking and chirping, as the storm made landfall. Zookeepers said the tight squeeze was actually calming to the flock, which includes the dominant Mr. Sparklepants. The Latin root of flamboyance means "flame."

French police arrested six suspects and recovered two Renoir paintings stolen in a heist last month. The theft occurred at a museum in the French town of Cagnes-Sur-Mer, housed in the artist's former home. Police originally said two people were involved in the robbery, during which two additional paintings were hastily discarded in the museum's garden as the thieves made their escape. Heist was originally a variation on hoist, or "lift."

An autographed Michael Jordan jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals sold for $14 million. The red Chicago Bulls travel shirt was worn by Jordan during Game 2 of the series, in which his team defeated the Utah Jazz. Miami real estate investor Ron Firman won the bidding during a private auction of the famous jersey, and his offer was the highest ever for an item of basketball memorabilia.

Pomegranates may improve heart function, according to a new study. Scientists found that the compound urolithin A, which the body produces after eating foods including berries and juicy red pomegranate seeds, helps the heart relax. This is especially encouraging for people with a type of heart disease that makes the heart stiffen between beats and keeps it from filling with blood. Pomegranate is from the Medieval Latin pomum granatum, "apple with many seeds."

Days after an 11-year-old British prodigy became the youngest-ever "woman grandmaster" at an international chess tournament, she won all 17 games in a qualifying round for a national championship. Bodhana Sivanandan had already captured worldwide attention for her extraordinary skill at the game, which she learned to play at the age of five. When she was only eight years old, Sivanandan beat former British champion Peter Lee. The Latin root of prodigy means "prophetic sign."

A group of international scientists gathered to discuss how best to study the therapeutic benefits of regular sauna use. Their goal is to use rigorous research, with well-controlled human trials, to establish the benefits of heat therapy for physical and mental health. Previous research has involved small studies and varied methodologies, and most advice about using saunas to treat conditions is based on anecdotal evidence. The Greek root of therapeutic means "to cure."

Scientists sequenced the genome of the world's oldest known living land animal, a 194-year-old giant tortoise named Jonathan. The massive turtle is distinctive even for a tortoise, having outlived his breed's average life expectancy by at least 100 years. By studying the 400-pound reptile, researchers hope to gain clues about the secrets of his longevity. They are especially interested in chemical tags on Jonathan's DNA that look like those of a five-year-old tortoise.