The Words of the Week - May 9
Dictionary lookups from the Met Gala, the Kentucky Derby, and the Sistine Chapel
‘Sovereignty’
Sovereignty was trending this week after a horse with that name won the Kentucky Derby.
The 2025 Kentucky Derby has come and gone, giving fans another exciting finish. Sovereignty defeated Journalism down the stretch to win the 151st Kentucky Derby.
—Matt Levine, Newsweek, 4 May 2025
We define several senses of sovereignty, including “supreme power over a body politic,” “freedom from external control,” “controlling influence,” and “an autonomous state.”
‘Dandyism’
Lookups for dandyism were high on Monday night, the night of the Met Gala, whose theme was inspired by Black dandyism.
The Roch Aza portrait is but one example of how this genre of well-dressed Black men emerged in art, and it is among a dozen paintings, alongside fashions, works on paper, historical and contemporary photography, sculpture, and decorative objects, included in “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” the Met Costume Institute’s much-anticipated spring exhibition that looks at over 300 years of Black dandyism. Opening to the public May 10 and the inspiration for this year’s Met Gala, the exhibition is a landmark, tracing the roots of contemporary Black male style to this era and showing how generations since have subverted what was once a signifier of enslavement.
—This year’s Met Gala theme is inspired by Black dandyism, so expect to see your faves dressed in their spiffy, sartorial best. With queer tastemakers and icons like Colman Domingo, Doechii, Janelle Monáe, and Sha’carri Richardson presiding over the festivities, there’s arguably never been a better time to comment on A-listers’ style from the comfort of your couch.
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We define two senses of dandyism. The first refers to “the style or conduct of a dandy,” with dandy defined as “a man who gives exaggerated attention to personal appearance,” and the second to “a literary and artistic style of the latter part of the 19th century marked by artificiality and excessive refinement.”
‘Look’
Look was also a top lookup on Monday, perhaps owing to its use in coverage of the Met Gala.
Fashion girlies, rise—the first Monday of May is finally here, and we’re just hours away from the 2025 Met Gala. As superstars across fashion and entertainment arrive at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in N.Y.C. for the biggest red carpet of the year, pop culture enthusiasts can follow along from the comfort of their own homes or watch parties. ... Several of this year’s highly anticipated attendees, including Ayo Edebiri, Doechii, Tyla, and Anne Hathaway, have already begun turning Manhattan into their runway in theme-appropriate looks.
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We define the relevant sense of look as “a combination of design features giving a unified appearance.” We also define lewk, slang for such a fashion look that is distinctive to the wearer and that is noticeable and memorable to others.
I knew Janelle [Monáe] would NOT play, a LEWK!!
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‘Habemus Papam’
White smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, and lookups for habemus papam rose concurrently.
Now that white smoke has finally billowed out of the chimney above the Sistine Chapel to signal that a new pope has been chosen, there will still be a short wait before the identity of the next pontiff becomes clear. Based on what happened when Pope Francis was elected in 2013, it will probably take at least an hour before the designated cardinal appears on a balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to announce, in Latin, “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus papam”—“I announce to you a great joy: We have a pope.”
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Habemus Papam is a Latin phrase that translates to “we have a Pope,” and is used to announce the election of a Pope by the College of Cardinals.
Word Worth Knowing: ‘Jarovize’
To jarovize a plant is to hasten its flowering and fruiting by treating seeds, bulbs, or seedlings by a method (as exposing sometimes partially sprouted seed to low or high temperatures for a period) that induces a shortening of the vegetative period. Jarovize is, thus, a rarely used synonym of vernalize. The word comes from the Russian yarovoe, meaning “spring grain,” from yara, meaning “spring.”
