This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for November 8–November 14, 2025

Two pitchers for the Cleveland Guardians were charged with accepting bribes. Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been on paid leave for four months while Major League officials investigated unusually large amounts of betting that occurred while the two were pitching. Charges include conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and the players are accused of taking money in exchange for revealing what pitches they planned to throw and deliberately pitching balls instead of strikes.

A group of senators took the first step toward reopening the government with a compromise deal that some Democrats are praising and others say is capitulation to Republican demands. Eight Democrats voted for the deal without a promise to extend healthcare subsidies. Many in their party call the move a surrender, after six weeks spent demanding a guarantee. Supporters of the move say that healthcare will be discussed later, and an open government means federal employees can be paid.

Typhoon Fung-wong hit the Philippines on November 9, bringing whirling, 185-mile-per-hour winds and lashing rain. The giant cyclone, which was 1,100 miles wide, displaced 1.4 million people and caused at least 10 deaths in the country. It followed another devastating tropical storm the previous week, which killed more than 200 people in the Philippines. Cyclone derives from the Greek kyklon, "whirling around."

High prices and low inventory are making it hard for first-time home buyers to get a foothold in the housing market. In the past, young people were supported in buying homes by government incentives, low mortgage rates, and the availability of small "starter" homes whose owners were moving to larger properties. Now, people are staying put longer. The figurative meaning of foothold comes from the literal definition, "stable place to put the feet."

Many small, rural towns have tried and failed to keep their libraries open in the face of budget cuts and a slowing economy. These futile attempts have disappointed community members who depend on libraries for internet access, summer reading programs, and more. Efforts to maintain these tiny libraries without raising local taxes have largely been unsuccessful. The Latin root of futile is futilis, literally "worthless," and figuratively meaning "easily emptied."

Dr. Jamal Eltaeb was named the winner of the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, which recognizes people who risk their own lives to save others. The Sudanese physician was lauded for his humanitarian acts as he continued to provide medical treatment and healthcare during the country's ongoing civil war. The prize committee noted Eltaeb's "extraordinary courage and steadfast dedication to providing care for those trapped in conflict."

As United Nations climate talks began in Brazil, leaders emphasized how important it is for countries to implement the policies discussed during the meeting. UN climate chief Simon Stiell implored delegates to focus on turning climate goals into action, putting plans and ideas into practice in order to make real progress. The United States, San Marino, Afghanistan, and Myanmar missed this year's climate conference. Implement has a Latin root meaning "to fulfill."

A Japanese company invented the first-ever tapeless zipper that can be sewn directly to fabric. This innovation, a zipper without the strip of material that normally lies behind it, makes the resulting garment lighter and more flexible. It also streamlines the production of zippered clothing, according to brands that have tested the ingenious new zipper. It's one of the few major changes since the modern zipper was invented in the early 20th century.

All crew members aboard an EU tanker ship were safe after it was attacked by pirates in the Arabian Sea. The Hellas Aphrodite was transporting gasoline from India to South Africa when it was ambushed by a group of people who fired machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades from a small boat before boarding the ship. The pirates were scared off by the approach of a Spanish naval vessel. The Greek root of pirate is peiratēs, "one who attacks ships."

A U.K. recycling startup will stop smelting electronic waste to break it down and extract metals. Instead, it will use solvents, recyclable liquid salts that the company says are "eco-friendly." The traditional method of recycling items like computer circuit boards involves using extremely high heat in a furnace to melt and separate the metals. But this process melts the plastic, too, releasing toxins into the environment. Smelt comes from the Dutch smelten, "melt."