Jekyll

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A reference to a renowned author famous for exploring dual personalities and moral conflict; a name symbolizing good and evil existing in one individual; a source of literary inspiration for tales of psychological struggle
2. Known primarily as the surname of a writer who created a classic story about a man with two distinct identities; often used metaphorically to describe someone with contrasting traits; linked to the concept of divided morality in fiction
3. The family name associated with a celebrated novelist whose work delves into the nature of human duality; commonly employed to illustrate the coexistence of virtuous and sinister aspects within a person; recognized as an emblem in literature depicting internal battle between opposing forces

Etymology: Long before it named a fictional doctor, "Jekyll" was a Breton personal name. It comes from Judicaël, the name of a Breton king who was revered as a Catholic saint. The name is built from two Old Breton elements: "iudd", meaning "lord, ruler, prince," and "cael", meaning "generous, noble." Together they mean something like "noble lord" or "generous ruler." The name travelled into French in several forms, such as Gicquel and Jézéquel, which still turn up as surnames in Brittany. Robert Louis Stevenson's English surname is therefore a Breton one, a reminder that many English family names trace back to Celtic-speaking regions of France and Britain rather than to England itself. The name's literary fame came with Stevenson's story about a respected doctor whose experiments split him into two personalities. Because the novella is so widely known, "Jekyll" is now used as shorthand for someone whose public and private characters seem to contradict each other.

Synonyms: Dr. Jekyll