Frankenstein
[ frang-kuhn-stahyn ]
/ ˈfræŋ kənˌstaɪn /
noun
a person who creates a monster or a destructive agency that cannot be controlled or that brings about the creator's ruin.
Also called Frankenstein monster. the monster or destructive agency itself.
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Origin of Frankenstein
First recorded in 1830–40; after a character in Mary Shelley's novel of the same name (1818)
OTHER WORDS FROM Frankenstein
Frank·en·stein·i·an, adjectiveWords nearby Frankenstein
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for Frankenstein
Frankenstein
/ (ˈfræŋkɪnˌstaɪn) /
noun
a person who creates something that brings about his ruin
Also called: Frankenstein's monster a thing that destroys its creator
Derived forms of Frankenstein
Frankensteinian, adjectiveWord Origin for Frankenstein
C19: after Baron Frankenstein, who created a destructive monster from parts of corpses in the novel by Mary Shelley (1818)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for Frankenstein
Frankenstein
(1818) A novel by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. The title character, Dr. Victor Frankenstein, makes a manlike monster from parts of cadavers and brings it to life by the power of an electrical charge. Frankenstein's monster is larger than most men and fantastically strong.
notes for Frankenstein
Frequently the subject of horror films, the monster is usually pictured with an oversized square brow, metal bolts in his neck and forehead, and greenish skin. People often mistakenly refer to the monster, rather than to his creator, as “Frankenstein.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.