Vocabulary in Dracula

The night or day immediately before a special event or holiday. Here it means the night just before St. George's Day.

Complete and unchecked power or control over everything. The phrase means evil forces are free to do whatever they wish without any restraint.

A narrow opening or gap split into a rock face or hillside. Here it describes a break between hills through which light is visible.

Struck repeatedly and forcefully with a whip or similar instrument. Here the driver whips the horses to make them run faster.

To pay careful attention to something or to take notice of a warning. Here the driver ignores the wolves completely.

An extremely deep, seemingly bottomless drop or chasm. Here it refers to the terrifying sheer drop below the castle wall.

To come out from a place of concealment or enclosure into open view. Here Dracula climbs out through the window and becomes fully visible.

An old-fashioned word meaning nothing at all. Here Jonathan means he and the female vampires have absolutely nothing in common.

Swarming with a very large number of people or living things. Here it describes London's enormous, densely packed population.

To fully satisfy a desire or appetite, often to excess. Here it means Dracula would completely fulfil his craving for blood among London's population.

Sharpness and quickness of mind or perception. Here it means the patient has a keen, penetrating intelligence.

A dialect form of 'be not' or 'isn't,' used in regional English speech, especially in Yorkshire. It signals the speaker's local accent and working-class background.

Done in a careful, orderly, and systematic way, following a set plan step by step. Here it describes a person who records everything precisely and without emotion.

A type of sailing ship with two or more masts and sails set lengthwise along the ship. Here it is the vessel that arrives mysteriously at the harbour during the storm.

The wheel or tiller used to steer a ship. Here the captain ties himself to it so he will remain at his post even if he dies.

A breed of very large, heavy, and powerful dog. Here it describes the huge animal seen leaping from the ship onto the shore.

Partly lying back in a relaxed or helpless position, not fully upright and not fully flat. Here it describes Lucy's vulnerable posture when Mina finds her outside at night.

Calms or relieves a feeling of anxiety or distress. Here writing in her journal eases Mina's worried mind.

The scientific order of mammals that includes all species of bats. Van Helsing uses the Latin term to signal his academic study of bats in connection with the vampire mystery.

Having a fixed, closed-minded opinion formed before examining the evidence. Here Van Helsing means Seward refuses to consider explanations that lie outside conventional science.

Brave, noble, and admirable in the face of difficulty or suffering. Here it describes Lucy's courageous endurance of her illness.

Suggesting or expressing sensual pleasure in a way that is lush and physically appealing, yet here disturbingly so. It describes Lucy's transformed appearance as both attractive and horrifying.

Relating to the physical body and its appetites rather than the spirit or soul, often with a sense of base or sinful desire. Here it emphasises that Lucy's undead form is driven purely by bodily hunger.

Troubled, agitated, or greatly concerned about something. Here it means the local community is disturbed and unsettled by a series of mysterious events.

A willingness to consider new, unusual, or even contradictory ideas without dismissing them in advance. Here it means accepting strange possibilities that ordinary experience does not prepare one for.