The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: List 2

by Robert Louis Stevenson
When a respected doctor performs a dangerous experiment on himself, he empowers an evil alter ego who wreaks havoc on London. Read the full text here.

This list covers "Dr. Jekyll Was Quite At Ease"–"Incident of Dr. Lanyon."

Here are links to our lists for the novella: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
15 words 3416 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. crony
    a close friend or associate
    A fortnight later, by excellent good fortune, the doctor gave one of his pleasant dinners to some five or six old cronies, all intelligent, reputable men and all judges of good wine; and Mr. Utterson so contrived that he remained behind after the others had departed.
  2. unobtrusive
    not undesirably noticeable
    Hosts loved to detain the dry lawyer, when the light-hearted and loose-tongued had already their foot on the threshold; they liked to sit a while in his unobtrusive company, practising for solitude, sobering their minds in the man’s rich silence after the expense and strain of gaiety.
  3. irrepressible
    impossible to control
    Utterson heaved an irrepressible sigh.
  4. brandish
    exhibit aggressively
    And then all of a sudden he broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with his foot, brandishing the cane, and carrying on (as the maid described it) like a madman.
  5. pall
    a dark covering or cloud, as of smoke
    A great chocolate-coloured pall lowered over heaven, but the wind was continually charging and routing these embattled vapours; so that as the cab crawled from street to street, Mr. Utterson beheld a marvellous number of degrees and hues of twilight...
    The pall described here is both literal and figurative. It is not actually a burial garment, but the death of Sir Danvers Carew and the foggy vapors combine to make the physical air feel and look like it is burying the city in sadness. In addition, knowing that a murderer is on the loose can bring on another sense of pall: a sudden numbing dread.
  6. connoisseur
    an expert able to appreciate a field
    A closet was filled with wine; the plate was of silver, the napery elegant; a good picture hung upon the walls, a gift (as Utterson supposed) from Henry Jekyll, who was much of a connoisseur; and the carpets were of many plies and agreeable in colour.
  7. disinter
    dig up for reburial or for medical investigation
    From these embers the inspector disinterred the butt-end of a green cheque-book, which had resisted the action of the fire; the other half of the stick was found behind the door; and as this clinched his suspicions, the officer declared himself delighted.
  8. ruminate
    reflect deeply on a subject
    Utterson ruminated awhile; he was surprised at his friend’s selfishness, and yet relieved by it.
  9. oration
    an instance of formal speaking
    That was the funeral oration of one friend and client; and he could not help a certain apprehension lest the good name of another should be sucked down in the eddy of the scandal.
  10. elicit
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    "Yes, sir, indeed. It has elicited a great deal of public feeling," returned Guest.
  11. callous
    emotionally hardened
    Much of his past was unearthed, indeed, and all disreputable: tales came out of the man’s cruelty, at once so callous and violent; of his vile life, of his strange associates, of the hatred that seemed to have surrounded his career; but of his present whereabouts, not a whisper.
  12. allusion
    passing reference or indirect mention
    "I am quite done with that person; and I beg that you will spare me any allusion to one whom I regard as dead."
  13. emphatically
    in a forceful manner; with emphasis
    "PRIVATE: for the hands of G. J. Utterson ALONE and in case of his predecease to be destroyed unread," so it was emphatically superscribed; and the lawyer dreaded to behold the contents.
    The capitalized words add visual emphasis to the address on the outside of the envelope. But the order to destroy is also emphatic. "Predecease" is usually a verb that means "die earlier than." But here, it is used as a noun to refer to a situation in which Utterson dies before the envelope reaches him. The possibility of his own death, the secrecy demanded by the address, and the thought that he might lose his last surviving friend are scary to Utterson.
  14. stringent
    demanding strict attention to rules and procedures
    A great curiosity came on the trustee, to disregard the prohibition and dive at once to the bottom of these mysteries; but professional honour and faith to his dead friend were stringent obligations; and the packet slept in the inmost corner of his private safe.
  15. inscrutable
    difficult or impossible to understand
    He went to call indeed; but he was perhaps relieved to be denied admittance; perhaps, in his heart, he preferred to speak with Poole upon the doorstep and surrounded by the air and sounds of the open city, rather than to be admitted into that house of voluntary bondage, and to sit and speak with its inscrutable recluse.
    The Latin verb "scrutari" means "to examine, investigate, search" (this can be seen in the English "scrutinize"). Something that is inscrutable cannot be examined so it is impossible to understand. What makes the adjective sad for Utterson is that it describes a friend whom he has known a long time.
Created on Tue Feb 09 12:47:13 EST 2016 (updated Tue Jun 24 14:30:35 EDT 2025)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.