Frankenstein

Etymology
From, various places named for +. The use of referencing 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, with the monster's usual modern appearance derived from Boris Karloff's performance in the 1931 film Frankenstein.

Proper noun



 * 1) Various small towns in Germany.
 * 2)  A former name of,.
 * 3)   Victor Frankenstein, a fictional character and the main protagonist and title character in 's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.
 * 4)   The unnamed monster created by Victor Frankenstein: a fictional character who first appeared in 's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus as the main antagonist.
 * 1)   Victor Frankenstein, a fictional character and the main protagonist and title character in 's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.
 * 2)   The unnamed monster created by Victor Frankenstein: a fictional character who first appeared in 's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus as the main antagonist.
 * 1)   The unnamed monster created by Victor Frankenstein: a fictional character who first appeared in '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.

Noun

 * 1)  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.

Usage notes

 * Generally, Frankenstein or is used for monsters similar to the one in Shelley's novel. The prefix  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, , 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  etc.

Verb

 * 1)  To combine two or more similar elements into a consistent entity, or a cohesive idea.

Etymology
.

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

Proper noun

 * 1)  fictional scientist
 * 2)  his monster
 * 1)  his monster
 * 1)  his monster

Etymology
.

Proper noun

 * 1)  fictional scientist
 * 2)  his monster
 * 1)  his monster
 * 1)  his monster