Wealth of Words Wednesday #2: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Previous Installments:

#1: Ameliorate, Aplomb, and Pecuniary

Usually, I don't find enough new (or forgotten by me) words to fill a post just from one book, but all of these words are from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. More surprisingly, that book is relatively short (less than 200 pages).

The first word is: pedant

The sentence in which I found it:

O, I know he's a good fellow- you needn't frown- an excellent fellow, and I always mean to see more of him; but a hide-bound pedant for all that;...

From The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, 22% Kindle edition.

a. someone who is extremely concerned with minor details or rules

b. a soldier of fortune, or a mercenary

c. an officious peddler of jewelry

The second word is: sedulous

The sentence in which I found it:

He now begs them to search with most sedulous care, and should any of the same quality be left, forward it to him at once.

From The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, 51% Kindle edition.

a. showing continued hard work and dedication

b. showing tenderness and benevolence

c. showing conceit and egotism

The third word is: incipient

The sentence in which I found it:

This bore some resemblance to incipient rigour, and was accompanied by a marked sinking of the pulse.

From The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, 68% Kindle edition.

a. something discerning or marked

b. slumberous or inactive

c. beginning to happen or develop


Correct Answers (Highlight to View):

1. (pedant) a. someone who is extremely concerned with minor details or rules 2. (sedulous) a. showing continued hard work and dedication 3. (incipient) c. beginning to happen or develop

Have you encountered any of these words before? Which new words have you come across recently?

Wealth of Words Wednesday #1

Recently I've come upon a plentiful supply (wealth) of new-to-me words. Some of these words I may have encountered before, but I seem to forget the meaning of them as soon as I move on to new books. To counteract this, I decided to come up with a new post series that will put my fluency to the test... along with yours. The frequency of this feature will depend on how many new words I come across, as well as how long my backlog of them lasts. I will give the word, the sentence in which I first discovered it, and three different possibilities as to definition, only one of which is correct.

The first word is: ameliorate

The sentence in which I found it:

And yet, when I endeavored to ameliorate my condition, the cry has been so fearful against me as to cause me to forget my own identity, and suppose I had plundered the nation, indeed, and committed murder.

From Behind the Scenes by Elizabeth Keckley, as written in a letter to her by Mary Lincoln

a. become more like Amelia Earhart

b. calm something, or tame it

c. make better, or improve

The second word is: aplomb

Because the sentence in which I found it also gives the definition, I'll make up a sentence for it.

The veteran teacher handled his students' questions with great aplomb.

a. confident composure or self-assurance

b. deficiency or limitation

c. emotiveness or passion

The third word is: pecuniary

The sentence in which I found it:

I received numerous orders, and was relieved from all pecuniary embarrassments.

From Behind the Scenes by Elizabeth Keckley

a. relating to the prison system or imprisonment

b. of or relating to money

c. not known about; obscure


Correct Answers (Highlight to View):

1. (ameliorate) c. make better, or improve 2. (aplomb) a. confident composure of self-assurance 3. (pecuniary) b. of or relating to money

Have you encountered any of these words before? Which new words have you come across recently?