meme

Pronunciation

• IPA: /miːm/^[1]

Etymology

It was coined in 1976 by the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene,^[2][3][4][5] by shortening mimeme, from Ancient Greek μίμημα (mímēma, “that which is imitated”), from μιμέομαι (miméomai, “to imitate”) (see mime), to make it sound like gene.^[3][2][6][5] Dawkins wanted a monosyllable for a unit of cultural transmission or imitation, and hoped his classicist friends would forgive him for cutting mimeme to meme.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

An element of a culture passed on by non-genetic means, especially imitation: 1976.^[4][2][3]

Semantic evolution

Collins records the later sense of an image or video widely spread on the internet, often altered for humorous effect.^[7]

Timeline

• 1976 – meme (Dawkins).^[2][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. An idea, behaviour or style passed on within a culture, especially by imitation.
2. An image, video or text spread widely on the internet, often changed by users for humorous effect.

Related words

• mimesis
• gene
• mime
• mimic

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins