MEME

meme

(noun) a cultural unit (an idea or value or pattern of behavior) that is passed from one person to another by non-genetic means (as by imitation); “memes are the cultural counterpart of genes”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

meme (plural memes)

Any unit of 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, slang) Something, usually humorous, which is copied and circulated online with slight adaptations, including quizzes, basic pictures, video templates etc. [from 1993]

(Internet slang) A myth circulating as truth; something ineffective presented as effective, or similar.

Verb

meme (third-person singular simple present memes, present participle memeing or meming, simple past and past participle memed)

(transitive, rare, internet slang) To turn into a meme; to use a meme, especially to achieve something in real life.

(intransitive, internet slang) To create and use humorous memes.

(intransitive, internet slang) To joke around.