New words – 18 April 2022

a starling perched on a snowy branch
Images from BarbAnna / Moment / Getty

rebirding noun [U]
UK /ˌriːˈbɜːd.ɪŋ/ US /ˌriːˈbɝːd.ɪŋ/
the process of helping to return an environment to its natural state by bringing back birds that used to live there

Swift numbers have declined by 58 per cent since 1995, while house martin populations have similarly suffered … In order to halt the decline, a new call to arms is launching this week urging homeowners across the country to encourage the birds back before it is too late … Forget rewilding, this is hoped to be the beginning of a vital rebirding of the nation’s back gardens.
[telegraph.co.uk, 19 March 2022]

climate doomism noun [U]
UK /ˌklaɪ.mət ˈduːmɪ.zəm/ US /ˌklaɪ.mət ˈduːmɪ.zəm/
the belief that climate change is now irreversible and that there is no point making any effort to stop it getting any worse

[Alaina Wood] is also part of a growing cadre of people, many of them young, who are fighting climate doomism, the notion that it’s too late to turn things around. They believe that focusing solely on terrible climate news can sow dread and paralysis, foster inaction, and become a self-fulfilling prophecy. In the summer of 2021, Ms. Wood … began creating TikTok videos debunking extreme examples of climate doomism — among them that all of humanity will perish within decades.
[nytimes.com, 22 March 2022]

water neutrality noun [U]
UK /ˌwɔː.tə njuːˈtræl.ə.ti/ US /ˌwɑː.t̬ɚ nuːˈtræl.ə.t̬i/
the principle that the total amount of water used in an area after new houses, shops, etc. have been built must not be more than the amount used in the same area previously

The definition of water neutrality is that for every new development, total water use in the region after the development must be equal to or less than the total water use in the region. There are three steps to achieving water neutrality: (1) reducing water use by making the new build as water efficient as possible (2) installing water reuse systems, such as rainwater harvesting or grey water recycling and (3) offsetting any remaining demand in the existing local region.
[www.linkedin.com/pulse, 16 February 2022]

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6 thoughts on “New words – 18 April 2022

  1. amossoise

    I thank you for this blog. It help me to learn more English. Even the description of the new words or new expressions help me to improve English, ….

  2. Jon

    This is my go-to site for pronunciation help. Today it was “portrait” after listening to Steve Lawrence sing (top 10 record) Portrait of My Love in which he sang the 2nd syllable as the word trait. Yes, it is spelt that way, but Really?!! (And yes I did look up “spelt” here too)

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