Highlight Words In Action 5
archives
noun: documents or records relating to the activities, business dealings, etc., of a person, family, corporation, association, community, or nation
From the headlines: A new initiative will harness AI to improve access to the extensive archives of the Boston Public Library. In partnership with Harvard Law School and OpenAI, the library plans to scan and digitize its vast trove of historical materials, making them available online. These archives, which include oral histories and congressional records from as far back as the 1800s, currently can only be viewed in person.
conch
noun: the spiral shell of a gastropod, often used as a horn
From the headlines: A small study showed that blowing into a conch shell could help relieve the effects of sleep apnea. The condition causes people to periodically stop breathing while they sleep, leading to drowsiness and high blood pressure. Researchers taught patients to exhale fully into the large, spiral-shaped shells for fifteen minutes each day. This group experienced fewer sleep apnea episodes than a control group.
multitudinous
adjective: existing, occurring, or present in great numbers
From the headlines: British conservationists say an abandoned oil refinery, now home to multitudinous species of plants and animals, highlights the promise of converting industrial “brownfields” into thriving ecosystems. Once dominated by asphalt and disused infrastructure, the site was acquired by the UK Land Trust and has since undergone a remarkable transformation.
Today, it hosts an astonishing variety of life — including owls, nightingales, voles, bees, reptiles, lichens, and stonecrops — demonstrating the biodiversity such reclaimed spaces can support.
paucity
noun: smallness of quantity; scarcity
From the headlines: Economists are expressing concern that the ongoing paucity of tourists in Las Vegas may signal deeper troubles in the national economy. For six straight months, the city has seen declining visitor numbers, prompting fears about rising inflation and dwindling international tourism. Some experts believe this sustained paucity of travelers could be a reflection of broader trends affecting the entire United States.
peddler
noun: a person who sells from door to door or on the street
From the headlines: President Emmanuel Macron awarded Ali Akbar, France’s last newspaper peddler, a Légion d’Honneur, the country’s highest order of merit. Akbar has been hawking papers on the streets of Paris since 1974. He sells several publications, including Le Monde and Les Echos, walking miles through the city every day and calling out, “Ça y est!” or “That’s it!”
quaint
adjective: having an old-fashioned attractiveness or charm
From the headlines: AOL said it will shut down its dial-up internet service next month. This early form of internet access, known for its use of landlines and signature beeping sounds, was a defining feature of online life in the 1990s. Today it is widely considered quaint, with only 0.01 percent of U.S. households still using AOL dial-up. In an era dominated by high-speed broadband, the service was regarded as a slow, nostalgic relic of a bygone era.
reactor
noun: an apparatus in which a nuclear-fission chain reaction can be initiated, sustained, and controlled
From the headlines: NASA announced plans to generate power for a lunar base by putting a small nuclear reactor on the moon. While solar panels currently produce enough electricity for orbiting and landing spacecraft, a moon-based outpost where humans might stay for extended periods would require much more power. Creating heat through uranium fission, a lunar reactor would keep a base running, although building one on the moon presents engineering challenges that would cost billions of dollars.
reprieve
noun: a respite or temporary relief
From the headlines: Wildfires have burned more than 140,000 acres in Colorado, and firefighters are hoping for a reprieve from the relentless heat and dry conditions. With strong winds, high temperatures, and persistent drought fueling the flames, containment has become nearly impossible. Until there’s a much-needed shift in the weather, crews are focused on safeguarding homes, assisting evacuations, and doing what they can to keep the fires from spreading further.
suspension bridge
noun: a bridge having a deck suspended from cables anchored at their extremities and usually raised on towers
From the headlines: Italy approved plans for a suspension bridge connecting Sicily to the mainland. The Strait of Messina Bridge would extend across a channel in the Mediterranean Sea, suspended by cables attached to towers. Planners say it would be the world’s longest suspension bridge. The project, which is controversial because of its estimated cost of over $15 billion, was initially proposed in 1971.
sweltering
adjective: characterized by oppressive heat
From the headlines: Sweltering temperatures have led to thousands of evacuations and wildfires in Spain, Greece, France, and Portugal. The dangerously oppressive heat, measuring over 107 degrees in many parts of Southern Europe, has caused at least four deaths and scores of injuries. 2025 is shaping up to be one of the hottest years ever recorded in Europe.
carat
noun: a unit of weight in gemstones equivalent to 200 milligrams
From the headlines: After digging for gems at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas for three weeks, a woman found a 2.3 carat white diamond. Micherre Fox camped at night and resumed her hunt each morning, hoping to find a gem to use for a ring to mark her engagement to her fiancé, Trevor Ballou. After hours spent sifting through dirt and silt with her hands, the stone Fox finally found was large enough to grant her naming rights: she dubbed it the Fox-Ballou Diamond.
cairn
noun: a heap of stones set up as a landmark, monument, tombstone, etc.
From the headlines: A British man is on a mission to warn people about the harmful effects of stacking stones along the Mam Tor hiking trail. In Stuart Cox’s viral videos, in which he kicks over cairns built by hikers, he also gives a compelling explanation for why he does it. Cox’s argument, shared by environmentalists, is that taking the stones from ancient walls disrupts many species’ habitats and hastens erosion.
dredge
verb: to remove sand, silt, mud, etc., from the bottom of something
From the headlines: Many U.S. coastal communities are working to restore threatened ecosystems using silt removed from other waterways to protect against rising sea levels and destructive storms. Along the Gulf Coast, new projects include dredging sediment from less vulnerable areas of the Mississippi River and using it to rebuild eroded marshes and swamps, raising their levels and protecting life in these sensitive habitats.
lineage
noun: descent from an ancestor
From the headlines: New research indicates that potatoes may share part of their lineage with tomatoes. For years, scientists have debated the genetic origins of potatoes, since some of their DNA aligns closely with tomatoes while other genes resemble those of plants called Etuberosum. The latest analysis suggests that the potato’s lineage stems from an ancient interbreeding event about nine million years ago, making both tomatoes and Etuberosum ancestors of the starchy tuber we eat today.
memorabilia
noun: mementos; souvenirs
From the headlines: Costumes and memorabilia from the popular television show Downton Abbey will be auctioned off to benefit a U.K. charity for children. The auction includes period outfits worn by characters including the Dowager Countess, Mr. Carson, and Lady Mary Crawley. Keepsakes from the film set like hatboxes, a silver pocket watch, and a collection of doorknobs will also be sold.
monsoon
noun: the seasonal wind of the Indian Ocean and southern Asia; the rainfall associated with these winds
From the headlines: Monsoons and floods have killed more than 400 people in Pakistan over the past week. The rainy season, which lasts from June to September, has grown longer and more extreme with the warming climate. Instead of gradually swelling rivers, this summer’s deluges have rapidly overflowed their banks and swept stormwater through cities and villages.
As the rain continues to fall, Pakistan’s aging plumbing systems have been overwhelmed, leaving entire neighborhoods submerged in water.
neurology
noun: the science of the nerves and the nervous system, especially of the diseases affecting them
From the headlines: Dr. Alieu Kamara, Sierra Leone’s first and only neurosurgeon, is giving patients with severe head and spinal injuries a chance at recovery. After completing medical school in China and returning home, he pursued additional training in neurology when he recognized the urgent need for expertise in his small West African nation. Thanks to his work, patients who previously had little hope now have access to specialized care.
powwow
noun: a large gathering organized by Native Americans for socializing, dancing, singing, and celebrating their culture
From the headlines: Organizers of North America’s largest powwow say the 2026 event will be their last. The Gathering of Nations, an annual cultural event celebrating Indigenous traditions, attracts thousands of participants and spectators to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Since 1983, the gathering has been a major showcase for Native American dancing, music, and art.
Fun fact: The Algonquian root of powwow means “one who dreams.”
synergy
noun: the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements
From the headlines: Investigators described the arrest of a tourist in Pompeii as a “perfect example of synergy” among a tour guide, park staff, and local police. Their coordinated efforts led to the arrest of a man caught stealing stones from the historic site, resulting in theft charges and the possibility of a year in prison. Beyond breaking the law, his act also brought attention to a local legend warning that anyone who removes artifacts from Pompeii is cursed with bad luck.
template
noun: anything that determines or serves as a pattern; a model
From the headlines: A recent study shows that young chimpanzees use their mothers as a kind of “social template” for learning how to communicate. By carefully watching their mothers and maternal relatives, young chimps adopt similar vocal and visual signals. Fathers, on the other hand, are less involved in daily care and do not appear to pass down their habits in the same way.
buoy
noun: a distinctively shaped and marked float anchored to mark a channel, navigational hazard, etc.
From the headlines: New England boaters are protesting a Coast Guard plan to remove 350 buoys from the Atlantic Ocean. The move, which will affect navigational floats from New Jersey to Maine, makes sense to marine officials in light of widely available smartphone tools. The Coast Guard argues that the floating beacons are nearly obsolete given today’s electronic navigation aids, but fishermen and recreational boaters say they still rely on old-fashioned buoys to navigate safely.
cartography
noun: the production or study of maps
From the headlines: The African Union has joined a campaign urging the replacement of the widely used Mercator projection with a more accurate world map. Advocates argue that the Mercator’s distorted cartography minimizes Africa’s size while exaggerating landmasses near the poles. For example, Africa is fourteen times the size of Greenland, but the two appear roughly equal in size on a Mercator map.
Campaign members say adopting a corrected map will not only be more accurate but also “highlight the true scale, power, and potential of the African continent.”
engagement
noun: a pledge to be married
From the headlines: Taylor Swift announced her engagement to professional football player Travis Kelce on August 26. Since beginning their relationship in 2023, the couple has drawn constant attention thanks to her towering influence as a global pop culture icon and his as a record-setting tight end. The engagement was revealed with photos showing Kelce on one knee and Swift wearing a diamond engagement ring.
etiquette
noun: conventional requirements as to social behavior
From the headlines: Many tennis players say they prefer the US Open’s particular code of conduct, which is different from other major matches. The etiquette at Wimbledon and the Australian Open requires quiet speaking, strict dress codes, and restrained music. At the US Open, on the other hand, loud music blares and players often incite the crowd to chant or boo.
Fun fact: An older meaning of etiquette was a card or ticket listing rules for behavior in a royal court.
holistic
adjective: incorporating the idea that the whole is more than merely the sum of its parts
From the headlines: Animal welfare advocates in India welcomed a decision to replace Delhi’s mass roundup of stray dogs with a more holistic approach. After critics raised concerns about the cost and feasibility of removing a million strays, the government unveiled a new plan to cover the entire country while taking into account each animal’s behavior.
Under the new policy, only rabid or aggressive dogs will be placed in shelters, while others will be vaccinated, spayed, or neutered, then released back onto the streets.
olfactory
adjective: of or relating to the sense of smell
From the headlines: A Michigan tourism campaign developed a scented spray to promote the state and its summer attractions. The seasonal scent is meant to capture the olfactory experience of visiting Michigan during the sunny season, aiming at replicating smells including Lake Michigan’s coast on a summer day, a fragrant lavender farm, and a winery. Room and body sprays for fall, winter, and spring are also in the works.
onerous
adjective: burdensome, oppressive, or troublesome
From the headlines: Krispy Kreme executives are confronting the onerous task of persuading investors that the company can rebound from its recent struggles. Shares have plummeted 66 percent this year, reflecting the difficulties of scaling a business known for its fresh “hot now” doughnuts. Many Wall Street analysts remain skeptical, questioning whether the chain can overcome its challenges and achieve stronger revenue growth.
refurbish
verb: to renovate or brighten
From the headlines: The director of Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum said it will close unless the Dutch culture ministry increases funding to pay for a renovation. The museum, which 1.8 million people visit annually, houses the world’s largest Van Gogh collection. In order to protect this valuable artwork, it must refurbish its aging building. Museum leaders are asking for almost $3 million for the improvements, which the government says the museum should pay for.
spew
verb: to cast forth, gush, or eject
From the headlines: Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has erupted for the thirty-first time since December, spewing lava nearly 100 feet into the air. As one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, Kilauea frequently produces dramatic fountains of molten rock. Unlike the catastrophic 2018 eruption that destroyed over 700 homes, this latest series of eruptions does not threaten any private property.
turbine
noun: a machine having a rotor, usually with vanes or blades, driven by the pressure, momentum, or reactive thrust of a moving fluid
From the headlines: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management halted work on a nearly completed wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut, citing security concerns. State leaders asked the federal government to restart the project, arguing that the shutdown would drive up energy prices. The wind farm was designed to use turbines that capture the wind’s energy. As the wind spins the blades of each turbine like a wheel, a shaft connected to a generator rotates, producing electricity.
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