“Right now, Ottink is focused on the article for the word res, which roughly translates to ‘thing.’ Just like ‘thing’ in English, it is a very common word in Latin. And here’s the thing — its meaning hard to pin down, because it appears in all kind of idioms. Ottink did not volunteer for this word. ‘No one volunteers for res,’ she says, a little ruefully. Still, she’s been plugging away at it, on and off, since 2009.”