Frankenstein

See also: frankenstein

English

Etymology

From German Frankenstein, various places named for Franken (“Franks, Frankish”) + Stein (“stone”). Use to reference mad scientists derives from Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus, where Victor Frankenstein assembles a man from pieces of various corpses and brings him to life with electricity. Use of the reference to the monster itself is an ellipsis of the earlier Frankenstein's monster, with the monster's usual modern appearance derived from Boris Karloff's performance in the 1931 film Frankenstein.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɹæŋ.kən.staɪn/, /ˈfɹæŋ.kən.ʃtaɪn/, /-kɪn-/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪn

Proper noun

Victor Frankenstein (sense 4) recoiling from his creation (sense 5), frontispiece to the 1831 revised edition of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Frankenstein (countable and uncountable, plural Frankensteins)

1. Various small towns in Germany.
2. (historical) A former name of Ząbkowice Śląskie, a town in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland.
   • 1998, Akira Kudō, chapter 5, in J.A.A. Stockwin, editor, Japanese-German Business Relations: Co-operation and Rivalry in the Interwar Period‎^[1], London: Routledge, published 2001, →ISBN, page 90:

     In the same year, a kiln of the same size was built in Frankenstein in the Silesian region, but the purpose of this kiln was to treat low-grade nickel ore, and it had a capacity for treating 80,000 tons a year.

3. (countable) A surname from German.
5. (fiction) Victor Frankenstein, a fictional character and the main protagonist and title character in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.

   Synonyms: Franky／Frankie, Doctor Frankenstein／Dr Frankenstein

7. (fiction, sometimes proscribed) The unnamed monster created by Victor Frankenstein: a fictional character who first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus as the main antagonist.

Usage notes

Frankenstein was the name of the scientist in Shelley's novel, and the monster was unnamed. Use of Frankenstein as a proper name for the monster is sometimes proscribed as a mistake, although it developed from greater use of the common noun below and from the monster's appearance in other media, usually without the Shelley backstory.

Derived terms

• Doctor Frankenstein
• Dr. Frankenstein
• Dr Frankenstein
• franken-
• Franken-
• Frankenfish
• frankenfood
• frankenstein
• Frankenstein complex
• frankenstein doctor
• Frankenstein doctor
• frankensteinian
• Frankensteinian
• Frankensteining
• Frankensteinish
• Frankenstein's monster
• frankenword
• frankie
• Frankie
• Franky
• franky

 

Noun

Frankenstein (plural Frankensteins)

1. (sometimes proscribed) A monster composed of body parts from various corpses attached and brought back to life by a mad scientist, typically strong, unable to speak clearly, and misunderstood.

   Synonyms: Frankenstein's monster／Frankenstein monster／frankenstein monster, Frankensteinian monster／frankensteinian monster, franky／frankie, monster

   • 1961, Roald Dahl, James and the Giant Peach:

     "Such loveliness as I possess can only truly shine In Hollywood!" Aunt Sponge declared. "Oh, wouldn't that be fine! I'd capture all the nations' hearts! They'd give me all the leading parts! The stars would all resign!" "I think you'd make," Aunt Spiker said, "a lovely Frankenstein."

2. Synonym of mad scientist

   Synonyms: Dr Frankenstein／Dr. Frankenstein／Doctor Frankenstein, frankenstein doctor／Frankenstein doctor, frankensteinian doctor／Frankensteinian doctor

Usage notes

Generally, Frankenstein or frankenstein is used for monsters similar to the one in Shelley's novel. The prefix franken- only refers to misbegotten creations of careless scientists, not the scientists themselves, and use for mad scientists typically needs to be clarified by context or through additional terms like Doctor Frankenstein, Frankenstein doctor, etc. Some speakers, however, sharply disagree and insist that, because Frankenstein was the name of the scientist in the original story, it can only be used for others like him and the monster should only ever be called Frankenstein's monster etc.

Alternative forms

• frankenstein

Verb

Frankenstein (third-person singular simple present Frankensteins, present participle Frankensteining, simple past and past participle Frankensteined)

1. (transitive, colloquial) To combine two or more similar elements into a consistent entity, or a cohesive idea.
   • 2005, Neal Pollack, Chicago Noir‎^[2]:

     In the middle of the Formica-topped table, on the other side of Kimball's oatmeal but still at arm's length, was an approximation of a laptop Kimball had Frankensteined from computers so obsolete that cash-strapped schools wouldn't even accept them as donations.

Alternative forms

• frankenstein

French

Etymology

Borrowed from German Frankenstein.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fʁɑ̃.kɑ̃s.tɛ̃/

Proper noun

Frankenstein m or f

1. a surname from German

German

Etymology

Named after several places in Germany, literally meaning "stone of the franks," from Franken + Stein.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈfʁaŋkn̩ˌʃtaɪ̯n]

• Audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): [ˈfʁaŋkŋ̩ˌʃtaɪ̯n]

• Audio

  (file)

Proper noun

Frankenstein m or f (proper noun, surname, masculine genitive Frankensteins or (with an article) Frankenstein, feminine genitive Frankenstein, plural Frankensteins)

1. a surname
2. Frankenstein (fictional scientist)

   Hypernym: verrückter Wissenschaftler

3. Frankenstein (his monster)

Descendants

• English: Frankenstein
• French: Frankenstein
• Occitan: Franquenstein
• Spanish: Frankenstein

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from German Frankenstein.

Proper noun

Frankenstein m or f by sense

1. a surname from German
2. Frankenstein (fictional scientist)

   Hypernym: científico loco

3. Frankenstein (his monster)