meme
Cultural item copied by imitation online.
Meaning
A meme is a recognizable cultural unit passed from person to person by imitation. Online it usually means an image, video, phrase or format copied with small changes. The register is informal and used across social platforms by many age groups.
Origin
The English word meme was proposed in 1976 by Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene. He formed it from Greek mimesis, meaning imitation, shortened to resemble gene. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as an element of culture transmitted by non-genetic means, especially by imitation. The French form mème comes from English meme, pronounced [miːm].
How it's used
People use it to label a template that others copy and vary, such as image macros and catchphrases. Grammatically it is a countable noun with plural memes, also used as a modifier in meme page. French uses it as a masculine noun.
Example
She sent a meme from the group chat instead of explaining the joke.
Variants & related
French writes mème with accents and plural mèmes. English keeps meme, with forms memed, memeing and memetic. Related terms include viral, copypasta and image macro, all named explicitly as near neighbours.
Common misunderstandings
Outsiders limit it to funny pictures, but the supplied definition covers any behavior copied by imitation. The English pronunciation is [miːm], not me-me. It is informal online and fits poorly in formal writing.