-zilla
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Look up -zilla in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
-zilla is an English slang suffix, a back-formation derived from the English name of the Japanese movie monster Godzilla.[1][2] It is popular for the names of software and websites. It is also found often in popular culture to imply some form of excess, denoting the monster-like qualities of Godzilla.
This trend has been observed since the popularization of the Mozilla Project, which itself included the Internet Relay Chat client ChatZilla.[3]
The use of the suffix was contested by Toho, owners of the trademark Godzilla, in a lawsuit against the website Davezilla[4] and also against Sears for their mark Bagzilla.[5] Toho has since trademarked the word "Zilla" and retroactively used it as an official name for the "Godzilla In Name Only" creature from the 1998 Roland Emmerich film.[6]
List of -zillas
Some uses of the suffix -zilla include:
Businesses and products
- AmiZilla, an Amiga port of Mozilla Firefox
- Chipzilla, a humorous epithet for the Intel Corporation
- Clonezilla, an open source disk cloning software
- FileZilla, an FTP program
- Go!Zilla, a download manager program
- Mozilla, a group of Internet-related programs created by the Mozilla Foundation, also name of the group's widely known web browser
- Bugzilla, open source bug tracking software, with a web-based interface.
- ChatZilla, an Internet Relay Chat program
- Mozilla Application Suite
- Classilla, a rebranded Mozilla Application Suite, an internet suite for the classic Mac OS
- Ghostzilla, a web browser
- GNUzilla, GNUs fork of the Mozilla Application Suite
- Warpzilla, the Mozilla Application suite for OS/2
- DOSzilla, an obsolete port of the Mozilla Application Suite to MS-DOS[7]
- Podzilla, an open source user interface for the IPodLinux project, which allows for alternative functionality of Apple Computer's iPod
- Quizilla, an online personality quiz website, which contains its own "Zillapedia"
- Shopzilla, a comparison-shopping search engine, formerly BizRate.com
Entertainment
- Bongzilla, a rock band from Madison, Wisconsin
- Bridezillas, a reality show which airs on the WE: Women's Entertainment network
- Bridezilla (band), an Australian indie rock band
- Bridezilla (EP), a recording by the band Bridezilla
- "Bootzilla", a song recorded by Bootsy's Rubber Band
- Broadzilla, a rock band from Detroit, Michigan
- Davezilla, a humor website
- Godzilla (1954 film), the film from which the -zilla suffix originates
- Mechagodzilla, a fictional character from the Godzilla series, it is the mechanical doppelgänger of Godzilla.
- SpaceGodzilla, a modified clone of Godzilla
- Zilla (Toho), a fictional character formerly known as Godzilla, from the 1998 American Godzilla film
- Illzilla, an Australian hip hop group featuring live instruments
- Popzilla, an animated TV series in production for MTV
- Rapzilla, a Christian hip hop online magazine
- Tekzilla, a weekly video podcast on the Revision3 network
Miscellaneous
- Hogzilla, a large male wild hog hybrid that was stabbed and killed in Georgia, United States.
For derived words
- -zilla (in Wiktionary)
References
- ↑ Chrysti M. Smith. Verbivore's Feast: Second Course: More Word & Phrase Origins.
- ↑ William Tsutsui. "Godzilla and Postwar Japan Lunch Keynote". Address 2004 National Meeting Asian Studies.
- ↑ "IRC in Mozilla, aka ChatZilla". mozilla.org. Mozilla Organization. May 18, 2000. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
- ↑ "Godzilla vs. the blog thing". CNET.com.
- ↑ Philip Summa. "New Test for Trademark Dilution - Why North Carolina Should Adopt Section 12 of the Model State Trademark". Campbell L. Rev. 5.
- ↑ "ZILLA - Trademark Details". Justia Trademarks. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
- ↑ Kuma, Amit (30 July 1998). "DOSzilla The Free, Mozilla Based, Web Browser for DOS". idt.net. Archived from the original on 10 October 1999. Retrieved 15 June 2010.