This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for April 27–May 3, 2025

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a school disability discrimination case on April 28. The closely watched case was brought by the parents of a girl whose rare form of epilepsy means she has frequent seizures in the morning and cannot attend school before noon. Under federal law, public schools must accommodate such disabilities; the parents say it was unreasonably difficult for them to prove that their daughter's school failed to do so.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2025 inductees, including Cyndi Lauper, Salt-N-Pepa, and Chubby Checker. The organization's chair, John Sykes, extolled the influence that these performers have had on music and society. He said, "Each of these inductees created their own sound and attitude that had a profound impact on culture and helped to change the course of Rock & Roll forever." Extol is derived from the Latin extollere, "to raise or elevate."

After last week's militant attack in Kashmir, which targeted Hindus and killed 26, India detained 1,500 people and destroyed dozens of homes. The government imputes the attack in part to Pakistan, accusing the country of backing the rampage. Pakistan's prime minister denies responsibility. Tensions are high between the two countries, which both claim Kashmir as their territory. The Latin source of impute is imputare, "to reckon, charge, or ascribe."

An electrical power outage in Spain and Portugal affected millions of people and disrupted major infrastructure. The 18-hour blackout disabled trains, airports, traffic signals, cell phone service, and ATMs. Schools and businesses closed, and people rushed to buy food, emptying supermarket shelves. Some people were stranded inside elevators and subway cars, and hospitals turned to backup generators to keep critically ill patients alive. The cause of the outage is still unknown.

Using the principles of fluid dynamics, physicists at the University of Pennsylvania determined how to get the optimal flavor from pour-over coffee. The scientists conducted an experiment using silica gel beads in a glass cone and pouring water from varying heights. By observing the dynamics of each pour, they predicted the most favorable method and tested it on ground coffee. Ultimately, the coffee with the best, most highly extracted flavor came from a water pour that was high and slow.

A new report shows that nearly half of all Americans breathe in too much ozone. The colorless gas forms near the ground when pollutants react with heat from the sun, and its unhealthy effects are especially bad on hot summer days. Researchers at the American Lung Association found that 156 million people live in areas polluted by smog, soot, and ozone. These contaminants are harmful to hearts, lungs, and brains, and can shorten people's lives.

In a snap Canadian parliamentary election, the Liberal Party prevailed, clinching a fourth consecutive term in office. Prime Minister Mark Carney led the party to victory over the Conservatives, who had until recent weeks looked likely to win the vote decisively. In a victory speech on April 29, Carney said, "Let's put an end to the division and anger of the past." Prevail is from a Latin word meaning "have greater power."

A prophetic letter written aboard the Titanic just five days before it sank has sold for nearly $400,000 at auction. The note, mailed by passenger Archibald Gracie during a stop in Ireland, included a chilling sentence foreshadowing the ship's tragic fate: "It is a fine ship, but I shall await my journey's end before I pass judgment on her." Its buyer paid a record-breaking price for the strangely prescient letter. Prophetic has Latin roots meaning "to speak before."

While many people prefer fast-paced, thrilling television shows, millions are tuning in this spring to watch a Swedish "slow TV" moose trek. Observing the animals migrate leisurely across northern Sweden in real time isn't exactly exciting, but viewers say they find it relaxing. The Great Moose Migration has been broadcast since 2019, with viewership growing each year as people tune in to see the moose take the 56-mile journey to their summer habitat.

Researchers found evidence that rattlesnake venom evolves over time, depending on exactly what animals it's being used against. When scientists analyzed the poisonous fluid, they expected to find a wide variety of toxins for different prey; instead, they found that the snakes had fine-tuned their venom to target specific prey. Venom is derived from the Latin venenum, which originally meant "love potion."