Frankenstein

Frankenstein Glossary

malignity

intense ill will; spite.

desolation

a state of complete emptiness or destruction.

gaolers

archaic spelling of 'jailers'.

despondency

a state characterized by lack of hope or courage.

inconsolable

unable to be comforted.

terrific

in the context of Shelley, 'terrifying'.

placid

peaceful; serene.

pertinacity

persistence.

natural philosophy

an antiquated branch of study, which encompassed a broad sense of studying how the world works. It maps most closely onto what we now call 'science', though other disciplines, such as math, were also included in this category.

charnel houses

houses for dead bodies.

physiology

in Shelley, the science of living things, and of life as a concept, in a broad sense.

indefatigable

persisting tirelessly.

peculiar

personal; particular.

science

a more general term in Shelley than it is today; it refers broadly to learning and knowledge.

imperious

urgent.

chimerical

imaginary; fanciful.

predilection

a bias in favor of something.

the philosopher's stone

an object sought by alchemists, believed to be able to turn any metal into silver or gold.

dissimilitude

diversity; dissimilarity.

syndic

chief magistrate.

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