A frankenword is a term cobbled together from pieces of other words. It’s proper grammar with a side order mad scientist. The best ones are not only easy to pronounce, but also they evoke meaning from the word or word parts they blend. (Spork! Chrismukkah!) Here’s one I recently learned courtesy of People Magazine:

Mantrum

(n) A grown man’s fit when he can’t have his way.

Mantrum alert! Jon Gosselin storms out of Entertainment Tonight interview.

The “math” behind memorable frankenwords is pretty simple: Spoon + Fork = Spork or Man + Tantrum = Mantrum. While the majority put your spellchecker on overdrive, as they aren’t “real” words, Beyonce actually got bootylicious recognized by the dictionary.

Popular culture isn’t the only place you’ll find frankenwords. Check out the Internet. There’s “favicon” which is short for “favorites icon,” which the doohickey icon to the left of a URL. (Now you know.) There’s also “minisite”  which (obviously) is a “mini website.”

The advertising industry is also rife with them. Take VW’s “turbonium.” It was created to convey speed as if it were an element from the Periodic Table. Or Yoplait’s “Go-gurt” line to convey grab and go yogurt.

So how do I feel about frankenwords? A little mixed. While I commend their economy of words, and the grammar nerd in me enjoys creating them, I do think they can go wrong. Very wrong. And not just from overuse.

Take T.J.Maxx and Target. Almost simultaneously they launched “Maxxinistas” and “Frugalistas,” respectively. While I know both are trying to elevate the idea that great fashion doesn’t have to mean high cost, Maxxinista doesn’t make a lot of sense without context. “Maxx” with an extra X doesn’t inherently say “T.J.Maxx” to me. On the other hand, Frugalista is a nicer, more meaningful way of saying “I spend less on looking fabulous.” And it’s easier to spell to boot.

So at the end of the day, frankenword is still my favorite frankenword. Maybe someday a new term will get cobbled together, rise up and throw my love of it in the lake. But for now, I’ll be standing by, defending it with my pitchfork.