meme
pronunciation
How to pronounce meme in British English:
UK [mi:m]
How to pronounce meme in American English:
US [miːm]
-
- Noun:
- a cultural unit (an idea or value or pattern of behavior) that is passed from one generation to another by nongenetic means (as by imitation)
Word Origin
- meme (n.)
- 1976, introduced by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in "The Selfish Gene," coined by him from Greek sources, such as mimeisthai "to imitate" (see mime), and intended to echo gene. We need a name for the new replicator, a noun that conveys the idea of a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation. 'Mimeme' comes from a suitable Greek root, but I want a monosyllable that sounds a bit like 'gene'. I hope my classicist friends will forgive me if I abbreviate mimeme to meme. If it is any consolation, it could alternatively be thought of as being related to 'memory', or to the French word même. It should be pronounced to rhyme with 'cream'. [Richard Dawkins, "The Selfish Gene," 1976]
Example
- 1. A captivating image can become an internet meme regardless of its veracity , while less compelling images are overlooked .
- 2. Everything that you post or repost at meme is public .
- 3. Surgeon saws and wood saws are different manifestations of a meme .
- 4. The dissemination of the kony meme does raise interesting questions for the future .
- 5. It 's a meme that emerges strongly in statistics from youtube , which in just 18 months has gone from zero to 60 % of all online video viewing .