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-zilla

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"-zilla" is an English 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 denote 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.[citation needed]

The use of the suffix was contested by Toho, owners of the trademark Godzilla, in a lawsuit against the website Davezilla[3] and also against Sears for their mark Bagzilla.[4]

List of -zillas

References

  1. ^ Chrysti M. Smith. Verbivore's Feast: Second Course: More Word & Phrase Origins.
  2. ^ William Tsutsui. "Godzilla and Postwar Japan Lunch Keynote". Address 2004 National Meeting Asian Studies.
  3. ^ "Godzilla vs. the blog thing". CNET.com.
  4. ^ Philip Summa. "New Test for Trademark Dilution - Why North Carolina Should Adopt Section 12 of the Model State Trademark". Campbell L. Rev. 5.
  5. ^ 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.