this post was submitted on 12 May 2025
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I really thought meme originated from the French meme, meaning self. I thought ppl used it like me_irl, moi meme. I'm realizing this is based on nothing and I might have totally made it up.
imo the actual etymology is weirder
it was invented by richard dawkins in the selfish gene in the 1970s
it's used to describe an "idea-gene"; something that spreads and mutates not through biological means but through communication
like a mind-virus
hence why it sounds like a portmanteau of "memory" and "gene"
Damn am i the only one who knows that meme comes from "culture gene"?
The more you learn 🤓!
"Même" by itself means "same", "c'est la même chose" "it's the same thing", with moi (moi-même) it's "myself". "Self" by itself (feels weird to say that) would be translated as "soi".
It's similar in Spanish. "Mí mismo" means "myself."
mí = me
mismo = same
Me, my memes and I
Moi, mes moimois et moi
Au secours c'est trop bizarre à lire "moimoi".
Ah, true, sorry!