This Week in Words: June 4 - 8, 2018

No time to scour the headlines or watch the news? No problem! We’ve rounded up the top words heard, read, debated, and discussed this week.

This week was can be described as "out with the old, in with the new." President Trump and his lawyers are working on a new theory of presidential power, one that questions whether it is legally feasible to indict a sitting president, or if he is immune from prosecution. New medical advancements can mimic human corneas and tooth enamel. Two touchstones in business and culture have exited the stage — Howard Schultz of Starbucks and David Koch of Koch Industries have both decided to retire.

Take a look back at the week that was, vocabulary style.
10 words 1497 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. immune
    secure against
    The president’s assertions came in tweets just a day after Rudolph W. Giuliani, one of his lawyers, told HuffPost that Mr. Trump is essentially immune from prosecution while in office, and could even have shot the former F.B.I. director without risking indictment while he was president. - The New York Times ( June 4, 2018)
    As the Mueller investigation continues, all sorts of interesting constitutional questions are being asked. The president and his lawyers took to social and traditional media outlets to assert that a sitting president cannot be indicted, but it is an open legal question that the country may have to confront sooner rather than later.
  2. indignity
    an affront to one's self-esteem
    "These disputes must be resolved with tolerance, without undue disrespect to sincere religious beliefs, and without subjecting gay persons to indignities when they seek goods and services in an open market." - USA Today ( June 4, 2018)
    The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a baker who refused to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding because the union goes against his religious beliefs. The decision left a lot of the bigger issues raised by this case, like issues of freedom of expression and the rights of consumers and proprietors, to be more fully answered another day.
  3. feasible
    capable of being done with means at hand
    “However, what we have shown is that it is feasible to print corneas using coordinates taken from a patient eye and that this approach has potential to combat the world-wide shortage.”- goodnewsnetwork.org ( June 1, 2018)
    This week it was shown that you can successfully print safe replacement corneas using such a 3-D printer. This advancement could potentially enable thousands of people to regain their eyesight. Corneal replacement of this type is in the early stages, but initial results are promising, and are a testament to the wonder of medical technology.
  4. stoke
    (of a fire) stir up or tend
    Mr. Schultz’s decision to retire, a plan he said he privately outlined to the board a year ago, will most likely stoke speculation that he is considering a run for president in 2020. - The New York Times ( June 4, 2018)
    Howard Schultz, the man who grew Starbucks from a small coffeehouse in the Northwestern U.S. to a world-wide business and cultural phenomenon, has decided to retire. Starbucks' success with Schultz at the helm cannot be overstated, and there even rumors that Schultz will run for president based on his business achievements. To stoke is to stir up, to fan the flames, literally to keep a fire burning. Metaphorically, it is often used to describe gossip, to keep one's name in the news.
  5. ethos
    the distinctive spirit of a culture or an era
    Microsoft pointed out that GitHub will retain its developer-first ethos and is going to operate independently in order to provide an open platform. - forbes.com ( June 4, 2018)
    This week, Microsoft purchased software developing platform GitHub for $7.5 billion dollars. GitHub allows programmers to collaborate on projects over long distances, and industry-watchers are saying that this acquisition fits in well with Microsoft's recent emphasis on cloud computing. The everyday culture of a business is often referred to as an ethos, and when one company takes over another, there are always worries that this atmosphere will change, and not for the better.
  6. condemnation
    an expression of strong disapproval
    Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that does not currently permit women to drive, a policy that has long been a source of international condemnation. - L.A. Times ( June 4, 2018)
    Later this month, Saudi Arabian women will be able to apply for driver's licenses. For the first time in decades, the country is allowing women to drive. Beginning this week, women who have licenses to drive in other countries may receive Saudi licenses. This is seen as a major step towards modernization for the Arab nation.
  7. touchstone
    a basis for comparison
    Spade became a fashion force and cultural touchstone for her instantly-recognizable bags featuring modern, sleek looks with bold pops of color and feminine touches. - USA Today ( June 5, 2018)
    Designer Kate Spade died this week at the age of 55, the victim of an apparent suicide. Spade's "statement" handbags were wildly popular, conveying the image of sophistication and success. Spade is survived by her husband and their teenage daughter.
  8. mimic
    constituting an imitation
    But according to this new study published in Nature Communications, researchers have developed a mineralized material that mimics the fortified structure of enamel. - goodnewsnetwork.org ( June 5, 2018)
    Scientists have found a way to use a substance to replace naturally occurring tooth enamel. Enamel is notorious for being gone forever once it has decayed off teeth, leading to sensitivity and other painful dental issues. Now, however, a mineral-based material can be put on teeth to replace the missing enamel and protect the teeth once again. The minerals would be mimicking the enamel because it is not actually tooth enamel but is imitating the function of the enamel.
  9. leery
    openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
    But they've grown frustrated and become more outspoken in recent months as Trump has followed through on some of the protectionist and populist rhetoric that made them leery of him in the first place, from tariffs to deficit spending and the failure to protect "dreamers." - Chicago Tribune ( June 5, 2018)
    David Koch, who with his brother Charles is the eighth richest man in the world (worth $60 Billion dollars), has decided to retire from both business and political activities. In recent years the Kochs have been spending money backing political candidates and causes through Americans for Prosperity, but now it looks like David, who is ill, will be stepping away from those pursuits. A cancer survivor, David has donated about $1.3 billion dollars to cancer research and other charities.
  10. denigrate
    cause to seem lesser or inferior
    The overhaul was triggered by an email scandal last December in which Miss America officials denigrated winners' intelligence, appearance and sex lives. - Chicago Tribune ( June 5, 2018)
    The Miss America Pageant announced that it is eliminating the swimsuit competition. The organization has been trying for years to emphasize the role it plays in giving out scholarships, as opposed to being a superficial "beauty pageant.” These arguments have been somewhat undermined by the continued existence of the swimsuit competition, which many contestants find denigrating or demeaning.
Created on Mon Jun 04 11:10:42 EDT 2018 (updated Fri Jun 08 11:33:50 EDT 2018)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.