Ripped from the Headlines: February 2022: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 5–February 11, 2022

Millie Knight, a world champion skier who is legally blind, will compete in her fourth Paralympic Winter Games next month. Knight lost most sight in both eyes by the age of six, leaving her with about five percent of her vision. Her inability to see doesn't slow down her skiing; in 2018, she won three Paralympic medals using her sense of hearing. Knight competes with the assistance of a sighted guide who skis in front of her as he conveys verbal instructions using Bluetooth headsets.

The Washington, DC football team announced its new name this week, 18 months after dropping an old one that was offensive to many Indigenous Americans. The NFL team will now be known as the Washington Commanders, in honor of the capitol city's links to the armed forces. The team's president said the new name was intended to symbolize the "resilience and grit" of a military leader. Coincidentally, the Commanders share a name with President Biden's dog.

Several days after a powerful cyclone hit Madagascar, rescuers were still unable to reach the areas most affected by its damaging winds. Cyclone Batsirai slammed into the eastern coastline on February 5, battering towns and villages and displacing more than 40,000 people. The rotating air mass destroyed roads and bridges, cutting off access to emergency vehicles. Cyclone was coined in 18th-century British India, from the Greek kyklon, "whirling around."

An experimental treatment for depression that involves sending electric currents to specific areas of the brain has had impressive results. The method, developed by researchers at Stanford University, was shown in a recent trial to help almost 80 percent of patients suffering from low mood, insomnia, and other symptoms of the debilitating mental state. Some were relieved of their hopeless feelings in only five days of treatment. The root of depression means "to press down."

On February 7, Ottawa's mayor declared a state of emergency after massive anti-government protests by Canadian truck drivers snarled traffic and disrupted businesses. Thousands of protesters joined the truckers, paralyzing the city by parking cars in busy roads and intersections. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized protesters who stole food, desecrated memorials, and flew Nazi flags. The movement began as an anti-vaccine protest but expanded to rebuke many government policies.

Hundreds of Turkish doctors have emigrated in recent months, largely due to the crumbling economy. In Turkey, physicians often work punishingly long shifts for very low pay, some earning minimum wage. Working conditions in emergency rooms are dangerous, as citizens react violently to a broken health care system. In the past year, 1,400 doctors have left Turkey for other countries, where they earn higher salaries in better conditions. The root of emigrate means "move away."

Eighteen snowmobilers were rescued on February 6 after an ice floe broke off from land and sent them drifting across Lake Erie. The group had driven snowmobiles onto the frozen surface of the lake near Catawba Island when the large sheet of floating ice separated and began floating away. Coast Guard rescuers used an airboat and a helicopter to bring all 18 people to safety. Floe, from the Norwegian flo, "layer," was first used by 19th-century Arctic explorers.

A grassroots pro-democracy movement in Sudan is increasingly confronting the military generals who control the country. Hundreds of individual community groups, called "resistance committees," are joining forces to hold peaceful protests and meetings aimed at bringing democracy to the country. A military coup in October ended Sudan's planned transition to democratic rule. Grassroots, first used in the 1650s, derives from the idea of roots as a foundation or source of growth.

After seeing patients struggle with hiccups, neurologist Dr. Ali Seifi invented an effective treatment for the repetitive spasms of the diaphragm. The device, a tube that increases air pressure toward the diaphragm when it's used to drink water, is effective at stopping the annoying sensation and accompanying "hic" sound. Still, Dr. Seifi said the exact cause of hiccups remains mysterious. The origin of hiccup is imitative: the word sounds just like a hiccup.

An Oregon man was charged with impersonating a federal officer after authorities found he had deceived a woman into believing he was an agent for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. Disguised with a DEA jacket, badges, handcuffs, and a weapon later found to be a BB gun, the man duped her into thinking he was training her to be an agent for nearly a year. Impersonate means "assume the person of." An earlier word for this was personate.

A new study by the CDC shows that N95 and KN95 masks cut the risk of Covid-19 infection by 83 percent. Health officials said that wearing high-quality masks that fit snugly on the face greatly reduces the inhalation of airborne virus particles, and therefore the chances of getting sick. Even lower-quality masks were able to reduce disease rates by about 56 percent. Infection derives from a Latin root that means "to spoil or stain."

Nevada Gaming officials tracked down a Las Vegas visitor who left town without realizing he'd won a $230,000 jackpot. The Arizona man had been using a slot machine that malfunctioned, failing to inform him that he'd won an accumulated cash prize. He left the state assuming he was among the vast majority of gamblers who lose money and was pleasantly surprised by his unlikely winnings. Around 1902, jackpot was used ironically in criminal slang to mean "trouble."

Frontier and Spirit Airlines announced a planned merger on February 7. Combining the businesses of the two budget carriers would create the fifth-largest airline in the United States. In their statement, the companies said that no workers would be laid off in the consolidation, and that they plan to hire 10,000 additional employees over the next four years. Merger comes from merge, "disappear into something else" or "combine."

Among the candidates that are officially eligible to receive an Academy Award, announced on February 8, Jane Campion's moody Western Power of the Dog was the biggest winner, raking up 12 Oscar nominations. Other Best Picture nominees included West Side Story and CODA. The streaming service Netflix received 27 total nominations. The word derives from the Latin nominare, "to give a name to."

Lawmakers will introduce a bill to award posthumous Congressional Gold Medals to the 200,000 Black men who fought in the Civil War. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and Senator Cory Booker said the legislation will acknowledge the contributions and sacrifices made 150 years ago by Black Union soldiers, who risked being enslaved if they were captured. The posthumous medals are intended to raise awareness of a group that has largely been left out of Civil War history books.

A new study has found that ancient trees pass on their genetic resilience to nearby species. These rare specimens, the very oldest trees in old-growth forests, are often 20 times older than those around them, some having lived through environmental changes over thousands of years. Their very presence appears to lend the entire forest a longer lifespan and greater genetic diversity, which gives trees the ability to survive, bouncing back from harsh climate conditions.

Researchers have shed new light on the way groundhogs socialize. Dr. Christine Maher, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Southern Maine, led a study of the common marmots, long believed to be solitary. Following the relationships between 513 tagged groundhogs, Dr. Maher found that they have complex interfamily social connections, with about half remaining near their mother in adulthood, and many sisters living together. The Latin root of socialize means "companion."

Two years after Australia closed its borders to non-residents, the country will allow vaccinated tourists entry later this month. The border closure applied to all overseas visitors. Australia's high vaccination rate led health officials to okay the new policy welcoming vacationers who have been inoculated against Covid-19. Tourist, from tour, was originally defined as "one who journeys here and there for pleasure."

In towns along the Pacific Northwest coast, voters are choosing whether to fund evacuation towers that could be used in the event of a tsunami. Experts predict an eventual massive earthquake in the region, which they believe will cause the giant waves. The enormous rush of water from a tsunami can wipe out entire communities, and the towers would allow vulnerable groups to shelter above the waves. Tsunami is from a Japanese word meaning "harbor wave."

On February 7, the White House announced a plan that would make it easier for federal workers to join a union. The proposal will allow labor organizers to meet with workers on federal property. It will also ensure that employees are informed of their right to join with other workers to negotiate wages and work conditions. Union derives from the Late Latin unionem, "a uniting."