Page "Meme" Paragraph 4

The word meme originated with Richard Dawkins ' 1976 book The Selfish Gene.

Dawkins cites as inspiration the work of geneticist L. L. Cavalli-Sforza, anthropologist F. T. Cloak and ethologist J. M. Cullen.

To emphasize commonality with genes, Dawkins coined the term " meme " by shortening " mimeme ", which derives from the Greek word mimema (" something imitated ").

He said that he wanted " a monosyllable that sounds a bit like ' gene '".