The Words of the Week - Feb. 13
Dictionary lookups from the Winter Olympics, the Super Bowl, and the Epstein files
‘Boricua’
The Super Bowl halftime performance by superstar Puerto Rican singer and songwriter Bad Bunny (born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) led to a spike in lookups for Boricua.
Energy, nerves and excitement had been building across Puerto Rico ever since the NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced that Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio would headline the Super Bowl XL Halftime Show. Watch parties were quickly organized across the U.S. mainland and the island. Some dubbed it “Super Bori Sunday,” a shortened nod to “Boricua,” which refers to someone with Puerto Rican ancestry, while others referred to it “The Benito Bowl: Morcilla, Sancocho, Mofongo, Reggaetón and a little bit of Football.”
—Dánica Coto, The Associated Press, 9 Feb. 2026
We define the noun Boricua, which is usually capitalized, as “a native of Puerto Rico or a person of Puerto Rican descent.” It can also be used as an adjective before or after the noun it modifies as in “Boricua literature” or “an artist Boricua.” Boricua is a borrowing of the Spanish boricua, from Boricua, a name for Puerto Rico and an alteration of Boriquén, Borinquén, which is presumed to have been taken from Taino, the dominant Arawakan language of the Greater Antilles.
‘Ferment’
The word ferment bubbled up the list of top lookups on Sunday, possibly because of its use as a noun by U.S. Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
You know, I am on a carnivore diet, so I just eat meat and ferments and I’m very happy with that, so I’m going to probably have yogurt. You know, people can eat what they want. You can even eat buffalo wings.
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We do not yet define ferment to mean something like “a fermented food,” but such use is increasing. We do, however, define a food-related sense of the noun ferment as “a living organism (such as a yeast) that causes fermentation by virtue of its enzymes.” Fermentation refers to the enzyme-catalyzed anaerobic breakdown of an energy-rich compound (such as a carbohydrate to carbon dioxide and alcohol or to an organic acid) by the action of microorganisms (such as bacteria or yeast) that occurs naturally and is commonly used in the production of various products (such as food, alcoholic beverages, and pharmaceuticals) especially by controlling microbial enzymatic activity.
‘Clemency’
Clemency has been looked up more than usual this week.
Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell has refused to answer questions before the US Congress, as her lawyer says she will clear President Donald Trump of any wrongdoing in exchange for clemency from her 20-year prison sentence.
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We define the relevant sense of clemency as “disposition to be merciful and especially to moderate the severity of punishment due.” Pardons and commutations, for example, are both acts of clemency. A closely related sense of clemency is “an act or instancy of leniency.” Clemency is etymologically related to inclement, a word often associated with bad weather; both words come from the Latin clemens, “mild” or “calm.”
‘Redacted’
Redacted was also trending in relation to the Epstein files.
Jeffrey Epstein was associated with a current top foreign government official, lawmakers have revealed after viewing redacted files. Representatives Thomas Massie, a Republican, and Ro Khanna, a Democrat, revealed during a Monday press conference that six men are likely incriminated in the files.
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The adjective redacted describes something that has been edited especially in order to obscure or remove sensitive information. It comes from the verb redact, which in turn traces back to the Latin redactus, past participle of the verb redigere, meaning “to drive, lead, or bring back, get together, collect, arrange, reduce.”
‘Rebuff’
Rebuff featured prominently in the news this week, and saw a rise in lookups.
Grand Jury Rebuffs Justice Dept. Attempt to Indict 6 Democrats in Congress
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We define the verb rebuff as “to reject or criticize sharply.” Many English verbs begin with the prefix re-, meaning “again” or “backward,” so we wouldn’t criticize you for drawing a connection between rebuff and buff, a verb meaning “to polish or shine.” But rebuff would beg to differ: this word comes to us from the Middle French verb rebuffer, which traces back to the Old Italian ribuffare, meaning “to reprimand.” Buff, in contrast, comes from the Middle French noun buffle, meaning “wild ox.”
‘Freestyle’
Lookups for freestyle have been high since the start of the Winter Olympics.
Elizabeth Lemley and Jaelin Kauf won gold and silver for the United States in women’s freestyle moguls skiing on Wednesday.
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We define the relevant sense of freestyle as a noun meaning “a competition in which the contestant is given more freedom of choice than in related events.” This sense is often used before another noun, as in “the 200-yard freestyle relay,” “the women’s freestyle competition,” and “women’s freestyle moguls.” Mogul, it should be noted, refers to a bump in a ski run, and has nothing to do etymologically with the mogul referring to a powerful person or magnate.
‘Disenfranchise’
Disenfranchise was a top lookup this week, likely in reference to legislation being considered in Congress.
While the specific policies may have changed since the days of the Jim Crow South, the goal of the SAVE Act is the same: disenfranchising American citizens and making it harder for eligible people to vote, particularly low-income Americans and people of color.
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We define the relevant sense of disenfranchise as “to deprive of the right to vote.” More broadly, disenfranchise means “to deprive of a franchise, of a legal right, or of some privilege or immunity.”
Word Worth Knowing: ‘Zugzwang’
This German word describes the necessity of moving in chess when it is to one’s disadvantage. You’re fine where you are, but you have to move, and every move puts you in danger. That’s zugzwang. While this word is a technical chess term, it does see some extended use in non-game situations.
The consequences of climate change and damage to the environment will deteriorate at a faster pace in the case of the inaction of states. In response to this zugzwang the article asserts that: 1) liberal constitutional democracies are legally obliged to undertake climate change mitigation and adaptation measures …
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