This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 24–October 30, 2026

South Korean researchers conducted an astronomical examination of Van Gogh's The Starry Night. Their analysis found that the famous painting matches the way the dark sky over his home in Saint-Rémy, France, would have looked just before dawn on July 22, 1889. A sliver of crescent moon, a brilliant Venus, and the Hyades star cluster would all have been visible in locations depicted in The Starry Night. Previous scholarship had estimated the work was completed a month earlier.

In states that offer paid time off from work for new parents, a growing number of dads are taking advantage of it. The benefit, known as family or bonding leave, offers all parents a chance to connect emotionally with their babies and to participate in their early care. In three of the 14 states where paid leave is mandatory, more men than women applied for it for the first time ever. Bonding comes from bond, "hold together," and a root meaning "to bind."

In the weeks before Halloween, candy sales were down almost 7% from last year, following September's nearly 12% decline. Economists said the sluggish sales were caused by consumers' worries about affordability and record high global prices for cacao beans, which are making cocoa — and fun-sized chocolate bars — more expensive than ever. Over the past five years, the price of a bag of Halloween candy has risen by 71%. The Nahuatl root of cacao means "bean of the cocoa tree."

The European Space Agency said it found a "growing casualty risk on the ground" from falling space debris. When fragments of old rockets or satellites re-enter the earth's atmosphere, they usually end up in oceans. After recent near-misses when space junk landed in a cornfield and a palm oil plantation, experts warned that the increasing number of space missions means a growing risk of human harm. Debris is from the French débris, "rubbish."

Environmentalists said the presidential victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil would help preserve the rainforest and deter further deforestation. Lula's opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro, favored deregulation and other policies that, according to scientists, would have encouraged catastrophic tree loss. Under Lula's previous terms, deforestation fell to Brazil's lowest levels. Deter is derived from the Latin deterrere, "to frighten from or discourage from."

A Japanese manga artist who says his work is inspired by his love of the Japanese monarchy and democratic values is suing the government over its male-only succession rules. Yoshinori Kobayashi, who writes and illustrates graphic novels and comics, is best known for his nationalist-themed manga. Kobayashi's lawsuit argues that the government policy discriminates against Princess Aiko, and demands damages of $6,350 for "psychological suffering."

An annual festival celebrating pastoral traditions brought thousands of goats and sheep to central Madrid. The annual Transhumance Festival retraces the route that shepherds have used for centuries to move their livestock to new grazing land. Even as cities have grown up around the trails, farmers are legally allowed to use them to relocate their flocks. Pastoral is from the Latin pastoralis, "of shepherds," and its root, pastor, "shepherd."

A popular Finnish show, a livestream of a mother dog and her newborn progeny, began its sixth season. Puppy Live, which was picked up by Sweden's public broadcaster and spun off into a Dutch version, follows a litter of puppies from birth to adoption. An example of the Nordic "slow television" genre, Puppy Live is rarely action-packed, offering viewers many scenes of the canine family sound asleep. The Latin root of progeny is progenies, "offspring."

A growing number of meteorologists are using AI to track and predict hurricane paths. The technology's prognostication has been more accurate than conventional models so far this season, precisely predicting where Hurricane Isaias would hit the Florida coast. AI forecasting uses historical analysis of thousands of storms in addition to current weather data. Prognostication's Greek root is prognostikos, "foreknowing."

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski set a new World Series velocity record in Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Rays. Misiorowski's very first pitch was a 103.5-mph fastball that beat the previous record of 103.2 mph. The Brewers defeated the Rays in that initial game and went on to secure the team's first-ever World Series win in Game 5. Velocity is derived from the Latin velox, "speed."