franken-

Genetically modified.

The first element of the name of Baron Victor Frankenstein, from Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus of 1818.

Activists sometimes describe genetically modified foods as Frankenstein foods, evoking Frankenstein's creation of a living being, in popular understanding a terrifying monster who turns on his creator and destroys him. The first element of his name appears in various invented words—frankenfood, frankencrop, frankenfruit, frankenplant—with the technology known generically as frankenscience (all are often written with initial capital letter). They are all deeply pejorative.