Etymologically
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meme

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 14:41. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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.
  • 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