Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “meme” come from?

Meme comes from Ancient Greek μίμημα, meaning something imitated or copied.

meme (English): Any unit of cultural information, such as a...

Definitions

  1. Any unit of cultural information, such as a...

Ancestry of “meme”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FrenchméméGrandma, granny, nana
2Frenchmamiegranny, grandma
3Romanianmamămother
4Latinmammaa breast; an udder; a pap; a teat, a dug
5Latinferō—
6Proto-Italicferōcarry, bear
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰéretito be carrying
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰēr-shiny, light brown

Words derived from “meme”

  • memetic
  • memer
  • memosphere
  • memic
  • memescape
  • memocide
  • memology
  • memester
  • memelike
  • memedom
  • dank meme
  • meme
  • mem
  • mème
  • meme
  • mem
  • memeo
  • ミーム
  • mem
  • מם
  • meme
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰēr- →