meme

== English == === Etymology 1 === Clipping of mimeme, equivalent to mime +‎ -eme. Coined by British biologist Richard Dawkins in 1976 in his book The Selfish Gene. Shortened (after gene) from mimeme (compare English phoneme), anglicized as if from a noun derived from Ancient Greek μῑμέομαι (mīméomai) with the deverbal suffix -μα (-ma), from μῖμος (mîmos, “imitation, copy”). The concept was later applied to the Internet by Mike Godwin. ==== Pronunciation ==== enPR: mēm, IPA(key): /miːm/ Rhymes: -iːm ==== Noun ==== meme (plural memes) (originally) Any unit of (originally cultural) information, such as a practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another in a comparable way to the transmission of genes. Synonym: culturgen (Internet) Media, usually humorous, which is copied and circulated online with slight adaptations, such as basic pictures, video templates, etc. [from 1993] (Internet) A specific instance of a meme, such as an image macro or a video, often with humorous superimposed text. (Internet slang, derogatory) Something which is deceptive; a trick, a ruse. (Internet slang, derogatory) Something not to be taken seriously; a joke. (Internet) A work produced and shared in response to a prompt or suggestion within an online group. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== mimesis ===== Descendants ===== ===== Translations ===== ===== See also ===== chain letter forward replicator ==== Verb ==== meme (third-person singular simple present memes, present participle memeing or meming, simple past and past participle memed) (intransitive, Internet slang) To create and use humorous memes. (transitive, Internet slang) To turn into a meme; to use a meme, especially to achieve a goal in real life. Synonym: memeify (intransitive, Internet slang, by extension) To joke around. ===== Derived terms ===== ==== References ==== ==== Further reading ==== meme on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Internet meme on Wikipedia.Wikipedia === Etymology 2 === From French mémé (“granny”). ==== Noun ==== meme (plural memes) (informal, term of endearment) granny; nana === Anagrams === meem == Bangi == === Verb === meme to carry == Cebuano == === Etymology 1 === Onomatopoeic. ==== Verb ==== meme (childish) to sleep === Etymology 2 === Borrowed from English meme. ==== Noun ==== meme a meme == Danish == === Noun === meme meme == Indonesian == === Etymology === Borrowed from English meme. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈmɛmɛ/, /ˈmim/ === Noun === meme (plural meme-meme) meme === References === “meme”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016 == Italian == === Etymology === Borrowed from English meme. === Pronunciation === (Italianized) IPA(key): /ˈmɛ.me/, /ˈme.me/ Rhymes: -ɛme, -eme Hyphenation: mè‧me, mé‧me (English-based) IPA(key): /ˈmim/, /ˈmi.mi/, /ˈmɛm/ Rhymes: -im, -imi, -ɛm === Noun === meme m (plural (Italianized pronunciation only) memi or meme or (English-based pronunciations only) memes) (Internet) meme (media, usually humorous, which is copied and circulated online with slight adaptations) meme (specific instance of a meme) ==== Derived terms ==== === Anagrams === emme == Japanese == === Romanization === meme Rōmaji transcription of めめ == Kongo == === Etymology === Inherited from Proto-Bantu *méémé. === Noun === meme class 5 (singular meme, singular dimeme, plural mameme) sheep == Latin == === Etymology === Reduplication of mē. === Pronunciation === (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [ˈmeː.meː] (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [ˈmɛː.me] === Pronoun === mēmē (rare) emphatic form of mē (“me”) == Lingala == === Etymology === Borrowed from Bangi meme. === Verb === meme to carry == Luba-Kasai == === Pronoun === meme me == Lutuv == === Noun === meme breast == Mandarin == === Romanization === meme (Zhuyin ˙ㄇㄜ ˙ㄇㄜ) Hanyu Pinyin reading of 麼麼 / 么么 == Māori == === Etymology === (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) === Verb === meme to murmur to mutter, to grumble ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === Williams, Herbert William (1917), “meme”, in A Dictionary of the Maori Language, page 231 John C. Moorfield (2011), “meme”, in Te Aka: Māori–English, English–Māori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, →ISBN == Northern Ohlone == === Verb === meme (Ramaytush dialect) kill == Pajapan Nahuatl == === Noun === meme butterfly == Portuguese == === Etymology === Borrowed from English meme. === Pronunciation === Rhymes: (Brazil) -ẽmi, -emi, (Portugal) -ɛmɨ, -emɨ, -imɨ Hyphenation: me‧me === Noun === meme m (plural memes) meme (unit of cultural information) (Internet) meme (humorous image, video or other media shared in the Internet) === Further reading === “meme”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “meme”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Spanish == === Etymology === Borrowed from English meme. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈmeme/ [ˈme.me] Rhymes: -eme Syllabification: me‧me === Noun === meme m (plural memes) meme (unit of cultural information) meme (Internet meme) meme (specific instance of an Internet meme) === Further reading === “meme”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 == Swedish == === Noun === meme n or c alternative form of mem Synonyms: (internet meme, slang) mejmej, (internet meme, slang, humorous) jagjag ==== Usage notes ==== Much more common than mem for internet memes. ==== Declension ==== === References === “meme”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish) == Tagalog == === Alternative forms === memeng === Pronunciation === (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ˈmeme/ [ˈmɛː.mɛ] Rhymes: -eme Syllabification: me‧me === Noun === meme (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜒᜋᜒ) (childish) act of going to sleep Synonym: tulog ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “meme”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2025 “meme”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018 == Tok Pisin == === Etymology === Reduplication of English meh (onomatopoeia for the sound a goat makes) === Noun === meme goat == Turkish == === Etymology === Inherited from Ottoman Turkish ممه (nipple, breast), a childish term formed like Ancient Greek μᾰ́μμη (mắmmē) and Persian ممه (mame). In Turkic languages compare Azerbaijani məmə, Turkmen mäme, Kazakh мәме (mäme). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /meˈme/ Hyphenation: me‧me === Noun === meme (definite accusative memeyi, plural memeler) (anatomy) breast ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== == Vietnamese == === Etymology === Borrowed from English meme. === Pronunciation === (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [mim˧˧], [mɛ˧˧ mɛ˧˧] (Huế) IPA(key): [mim˧˧], [mɛ˧˧ mɛ˧˧] (Saigon) IPA(key): [mim˧˧], [mɛ˧˧ mɛ˧˧] Phonetic spelling: mim, me me === Noun === meme meme (humorous media)