-zilla

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
• Eventzilla, an online event registration website
• FileZilla, an FTP program
• Go!Zilla, a download manager program
• Growthzilla, the company behind Uzeli salon and spa software
• LiveZilla, a live chat/live support/ticketing system
• 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"
• RarZilla, a RAR utility application for Microsoft Windows
• Shopzilla, a comparison-shopping search engine, formerly BizRate.com
• STOPzilla, an Anti-Virus and Anti-malware program for Microsoft Windows
• Revzilla, a website dedicated to selling motorcycle related merchandise

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, the film from which the -zilla suffix (as aforementioned) 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 remake
• 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
• SlotZilla, a zipline attraction at Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas
• Tekzilla, a weekly video podcast on the Revision3 network
• FRONZILLA, the nickname of American singer Chris Fronzak from the metalcore band Attila & solo project FRONZILLA.

Miscellaneous

• Hogzilla, a large male wild hog hybrid that was stabbed and killed in Georgia, United States.
• Mobzilla, a weakened derivation of Godzilla in the Orespawn Mod within Minecraft.(Godzilla has his own Godzilla mod with the rest of his franchise)
• Burning Godzilla, a strengthened derivation of Godzilla within the Godzilla mod in Minecraft.

For derived words

• -zilla (in Wiktionary)

References