Meme
/miːm/noun
A humorous image, video, or piece of text that is copied and spread rapidly by internet users.
Did you know?The term 'meme' was coined by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in 1976 to describe how cultural information spreads and evolves, much like genes.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
mimēma
“That which is imitated or copied.”
17th Century
Latin
mimeticus
“Pertaining to imitation or mimicry.”
20th Century
English
meme
“A cultural item that spreads from person to person.”
1976
English
meme
“A term introduced by Richard Dawkins to describe the replication of cultural ideas.”