Word of the Week: Allyship 

(noun) the status or role of a person who advocates and actively works for the inclusion of a marginalized or politicized group in all areas of society, not as a member of that group but in solidarity with its struggle and point of view and under its leadership 

Dictionary.com announced “allyship” as their 2021 word of the year on December 6. Speaking of their decision, dictionary.com says: 

“As our Word of the Year for 2021, allyship carries a special distinction this year: It marks the first time we’ve chosen a word that’s new to our dictionary as our Word of the Year. 

Our addition of the word allyship to our dictionary in 2021—not to mention our decision to elevate it as our top word for the year—captures important ways the word continues to evolve in our language and reflects its increased prominence in our discourse.” 

Read the full announcement here. 

Kelly, J. (2021, December 6). Dictionary.com’s 2021 word of the year is … Dictionary.com. Retrieved December 9, 2021, from https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-year/. 

This Week at Falvey  

Monday, Nov. 15–Friday, Jan. 7 

Cabinets of Curiosity Exhibit / Falvey First Floor / Free & Open to the Public 

Friday, Dec. 10–Friday, Dec. 17

Shevlin Family Foundation Donation Collection / Boxes on Falvey First Floor or Old Falvey Second-Floor Lobby  

Items such as individually wrapped cereal bars and snacks, blankets and new or gently used socks, hats, gloves, scarves (kid and adult sizes), and hygiene items will be gratefully accepted. 

Monday, Dec. 13–Friday, Dec. 17

Salty & Sweet Finals Pop-Up / Falvey First Floor  

As you’re studying in Falvey this week, be on the lookout for the Grinch and Buddy the Elf (and our student workers) so you can snag a grab-and-go finals treat while supplies last! 

Monday, Dec. 13th   

Mindfulness Mondays / 1–1:30 p.m. / Virtual / https://villanova.zoom.us/j/98337578849 

This Week in History 

December 17, 1903 – First airplane flies 

As we get ready to travel for the holidays, we can look back in history to 1907, the year Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first successful flight in history of a self-propelled, heavier-than-air aircraft near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The plane stayed aloft for 12 seconds and covered 120 feet on its inaugural flight. 

The historic Wright brothers’ aircraft of 1903 is on permanent display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. 

A&E Television Networks. (2009, November 24). First airplane flies. History.com. Retrieved December 9, 2021, from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-airplane-flies. 

Jenna Renaud is a Graduate Gssistant in Falvey Memorial Library and a Graduate Student in the Communication Department.

Word of the Week: Air Fryer 

Each year Merriam-Webster dictionary adds new words and definitions to its dictionary, from slang to new science and tech jargon. This year, they have added 455 new words! We don’t have enough “Peeks” to cover the new words, but I decided to share one of the newly added words that also may make the perfect Cyber Monday shopping purchase. 

An air fryer is now defined by Merriam-Webster as, “an airtight, usually small electrical appliance for quick cooking of foods by means of convection currents circulated rapidly by a fan.” Although invented in 2010, in recent years air fryers have become more popular, leading to their addition. Other newly added food-related words include “fluffernutter” and “chicharron.”  

This Week at Falvey  

Monday, Nov. 15–Friday, Jan. 7

Cabinets of Curiosity Exhibit / Falvey First Floor / Free & Open to the Public 

Wednesday, Dec. 1

Fall 2021 Falvey Forum Workshop Series: Introduction to QGIS / 12:30–1:30 p.m. / Virtual / Register Here 

Friday, Dec. 3 

Villanova Gaming Society / 2:30–4:30 p.m. / Speakers’ Corner / Free & Open to the Public 

This Week in History 

Dec. 5, 1945 – Aircraft squadron disappears in the Bermuda Triangle 

On Dec. 5, 1945 at 2:10 p.m., five U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo-bombers took off from the Ft. Lauderdale Naval Air Station in Florida on a routine three-hour training mission. Two hours later, the squadron leader reported that his compass and back-up compass have both failed. The final communication heard over the radio was the squadron leader telling his team to prepare to leave the aircraft due to a lack of fuel.  

A mariner aircraft with a 13-men crew soon took off to find the five U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo-bombers, only to never be heard from again. Although naval officials maintained that the remains of the  men were not found because stormy weather destroyed the evidence, the story of the “Lost Squadron” helped cement the legend of the Bermuda Triangle.

Read more about the Bermuda Triangle here. 

A&E Television Networks. (2009, November 24). Aircraft squadron disappears in the Bermuda Triangle. History.com. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/aircraft-squadron-lost-in-the-bermuda-triangle. 

Jenna Renaud is a graduate assistant in Falvey Memorial Library and a graduate student in the Communication Department.