The word "畸胎" is formed by combining the character "畸", meaning abnormal or irregular, which itself consists of the radical "田" (field) suggesting deviation and the phonetic component "奇" (strange), with the character "胎", meaning fetus or embryo, composed of the radical "月" (flesh) indicating body parts and the phonetic "台". Together, they create a compound word that literally means "abnormal fetus", used to refer to a monstrous birth or teratoma.