Vocabulary for Shelley’s Frankenstein letters 1-4

Commencement

The beginning or first stages of an event; a ceremony in which diplomas are conferred on graduating students.

Satiate

To satisfy or quench a strong desire.

Peruse

To read or look over something, often in a quick or casual way.

Fortitude

Mental and emotional resilience; the ability to endure pain or adversity with courage.

Cultivate

To foster the growth of something; to improve or refine one’s mind by studying.

Allusion

A reference within one work of literature to another work of literature.

Emaciated

To become weak and thin; to waste away physically.

Multitude

A large number of things or people; a group of ordinary or common people.

Animate

To give life to something; to fill someone with energy and liveliness.

Discernment

The ability to perceive and understand things with clarity.