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Diving into the crypto space comes not only with not having any idea what to do; sometimes, you don’t understand what everyone is talking about! Some of the crypto jargon might be familiar if you dabbled into trading but other abbreviations and acronyms can be a total mystery. We hope that this mini-glossary should help you with at least some of the more common yet perplexing crypto terms so you can get rolling without that awkward phase of struggling with the vocab.
FOMO — Fear of Missing Out
Let’s start our cryptocurrency glossary with something common and neutral but good to know nonetheless. What is FOMO in a text from your buddy? You might or might not know the general slang meaning of FOMO, which is “fear of missing out”. Usually, the meaning of FOMO in chat or in a text refers to this phrase. What FOMO is varies in the context, hence the wide spread of this slang term. It could mean getting what you don’t really need only because of a time-limited discount or applying your time or energy rather than money.
If you are unsure about the meaning of FOMO in trading, don’t be: it also refers to the impulse that might make you take an opportunity that you believe may not be there soon. The slang definition of FOMO holds up here as well, arguably even more than in social settings.
What does FOMO mean in crypto? Also, the very same thing! Fear of missing out, the feeling that urges you to make hasty decisions and get in before it’s over, is very common in the cryptocurrency market, too. If anything, by the meaning it’s as if FOMO was made for the crypto language. There is even a FOMO coin!
It’s rather simple to define the slang term but explaining FOMO and how not to fall for it warrants a bit more text. Luckily, there are many guides and personal insights into working with this emotional bias.
FUD — Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt
On the topic of emotional biases, what’s a FUD? The meaning of “FUD” in trading and crypto slang is a layer deeper than a simple abbreviation expansion. Which is “fear, uncertainty, doubt”, by the way.
However, FUD usually means more than just this sentiment itself. It refers to the source of these feelings: news, social media trends and campaigns, that kind of thing. Basically, it is information that might or might not be true that negatively affects the sentiment around something.
Unlike FOMO, FUD is a term with a more specific meaning, usually used in business, finance or stock trading. What does FUD mean in stocks? The fear, uncertainty and doubt that tanks the sentiment around a certain asset. What is FUD in stocks more specifically speaking? News stories or campaigns, PR or business cases, even social media trends, campaigns and discourse.
What is common between FUD and FOMO in crypto is that their meaning is regular. What does FUD mean in crypto, then? By definition, FUD in crypto is anything that can instill fear, uncertainty and doubt in a cryptocurrency or the sector as a whole. Deriving from this term, “fudding” is the verb meaning spreading this information about crypto, whether with or without ulterior motives.
If you want to go beyond the simple definition and would like to learn how to spot FUD and deal with it, continue reading our guide to this phenomenon in crypto.
Bulls and Bears
Although “bear”, “bull”, “bearish” and “bullish” are terms so common, in crypto included, that you can glean their meaning through sheer exposure, if you are not certain at first, it never hurts to check yourself!
In finance and trading, “bulls” and “bears” refer to the two opposing types of market players. The former anticipate the growth phase in the market, while the latter capitalize on the markets going down. The terms are, of course, metaphorical: the common explanation goes, “bulls” push the prices with their horns up, while “bears” pin them down with their paws.
What does “bullish” mean in crypto, then? Deriving from the “bulls”, it describes anything that precedes or characterizes the period of market growth. Calling anything bullish in crypto has the same meaning as calling it optimistic and saying you feel good about it. Unless you are a “bear”, of course.
“Ape”: What is This Monkey Business?
If it is more or less clear what bulls and bears mean, then who are even “apes”? If you think it has to do with Apecoin (APE) or Bored Ape Yacht Club and their infamous NFTs, those actually came after the term!
To understand the meaning of the term “ape” in crypto, it is enough to learn about its origins. The “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” quote that goes “Ape together strong” became a meme on Reddit in 2019, particularly with trading forums which used it to encourage other meme stock traders to not give up (in other words, sell and drive the price down). Fun fact: “diamond hands” is its memetic relative, used in the same circles and even sharing some of its meaning.
But what does “ape” mean in crypto terminology? The meme migrated to crypto trading circles without changing its meaning. It even gained new meanings: used as a verb, “to ape into something” can mean to buy an asset without thinking much, possibly under the influence of other… well, apes.
To Shill or not to Shill
It is very likely that your first encounter with this word was in crypto talk, especially if you are not a native English speaker, although it is still a general term. But since we are focusing on cryptocurrency terms, what does shill mean in crypto? The meaning of shill in crypto is a) the action of promoting something or b) someone who engages in it.
What does shilling mean in crypto, then? It’s the same word but in another grammatical form, making the meaning of shilling crypto the action of promoting a cryptocurrency.
Why is it a separate term from a “promoter” or “promoting” then? “Shill” is markedly negative, whether referring to a person or their actions. When you see someone being called a shill, they are being accused of undisclosed promotion, which is dishonest at best and fraud at worst. This is not an accusation to make lightly but if you have a real reason to suspect shilling, it’s your cue to stay away.
Copium and Hopium
Crypto trading is highly competitive and sometimes stressful, leading to many inventive insults and accusations being thrown around. What does it mean if a crypto enthusiast is accused of being on hopium or copium?
Both hopium and copium can be thought of as metaphorical substances to deal with something difficult. Hopium as a slang term is slightly derogatory and describes indulging in false hopes and wishful thinking. If you insist that a weak and struggling crypto project will skyrocket one day, it’s hopium.
Copium is related to hopium and can be thought of as a more specific instance of it. When you make up excuses and consolations after a situation turns sour, like a pullback or flash crash in a market, it’s copium.
HODL and the Like
At last, we are in the real crypto lingo territory! As we’ve seen, a lot of crypto slang terms come from trading or finance but there are also phrases exclusively used in crypto circles.
For one, what does “hodl” mean in crypto? What does HODL stand for? Let us stop you right there: originally, “hodl” was not an acronym! You may have heard the meaning of “HODL” in crypto is “Hold On for Dear Life” but it also came after the fact.
The origin of the term “hodl” is the Bitcointalk forum thread from 2013 called “I AM HODLING”. While the original topic starter only intended to vent and reassure the community the hardship is transient, it came to define “hodl”. So, simply put, the definition of “hodl” is that its meaning is the same as “hold”, just with that extra Bitcoin slang flavor.
Intentional typos like “hodl” spawned a few crypto term copycats. There is “BUIDL” attributed to Ex-Binance’s CEO Changpeng Zhao, although it is not used nearly as much due to clear authorship and a niche use (not as many builders as holders). The usual English word formation spawned more successful terms, like what a “hodler” is — one who does the “hodling”.
Curiously enough, the meaning of “hodl” migrated to stock trading without a change. So if you come from stocks but find yourself puzzled about the meaning of “hodl”, it is essentially the same as “holding” with a connotation of desperate determination despite common sense.
C to the T
The shorter an abbreviation is, the harder it gets to understand its meaning, especially out of context. Your only cue to get what is the meaning of CT might be hearing it from other crypto folks.
But what does CT mean in crypto? It simply stands for “Crypto Twitter”, the circles talking about all things crypto on X, previously Twitter. X is still a large platform for all crypto-related discussions but “CX” has not caught on for some reason.
You can get a glimpse of what CT really is (or, at least, used to be) in our guide to crypto influencers. However, even CT is not a monolith, and there are plenty of communities and cliques.
Who is a Crypto Degen?
Recently more than before, crypto traders and DeFi enthusiasts call themselves or others “degens”. Before you ask, yes, “degen” is slang for “degenerate”. It is mostly a scientific term but in the general sense, it is a rather strong way to say someone or something is worse than normal, in a declining state.
What does degen mean in crypto, then? Why would this be used to talk about oneself or strangers unprompted? If you think about it, some might find “ape” to be an offensive term too, yet traders use it as a rallying cry.
Surface analysis does not exhaustively describe what a degen in crypto is. Sure, it is definitely not a compliment. Vibe trading to consistently disastrous results without learning the lesson or going all in on a hopeless project in hopes of it going to the Moon is degen behavior. The meaning of a crypto degen is more along the lines of a crazy person rather than someone irredeemably bad.
What does “jeet” mean in crypto?
Like “degen”, the slang term “jeet” is also not exclusive to crypto but rather, used in very specific circles: mostly, anonymous message boards like 4chan’s /biz/. If you are a poor innocent soul who stumbles across it, you might wonder what does jeet mean?
To define “jeet”, the word’s etymology is not enough. It comes from “pajeet”, a fringe term for Indians or people with South Asian ancestry. Doesn’t really explain the meaning of jeet in the crypto context.
So what is a jeet in crypto specifically? The crypto definition of jeet has nothing to do with ethnicity and means an extremely risk averse trader who sells at the slightest downturn. It’s still a derogatory (negative) term, though, and in any other context other than crypto that might sound like an insane sequence of words but the meaning of jeets is the opposite of apes.
Not to be confused with “jeeter”, meaning “white trash” (an offensive term for white rural Americans). “Jeeted” though, derived from the term in question, has the same meaning of panic selling.
DYOR — Do Your Own Research
Instead of summing up, let us introduce another useful crypto term. When you are told to DYOR, the author(s) encourages you to seek more information and learn more (and maybe sometimes relieve themselves of the responsibility for your actions).
And the ChangeHero blog is a great place to start DYOR! Subscribe to our Telegram, X (Twitter), and Facebook to always stay up to date with our updates and learn even more.
Did we miss cryptocurrency terminology you wanted to see explained? Let us know how we can expand the crypto dictionary in the comments!
FAQ (meaning Frequently Asked Questions)
What does TGE mean in crypto?
TGE stands for “token generation event”, often synonymous with the launch of a new cryptocurrency.
What is “rekt”?
“Rekt” is a misspelling of “wrecked” and is a slang term for loss or failure, most commonly in trading.
What does alpha mean in crypto?
In crypto circles, “alpha” can refer to a few things. In software development, an alpha version is the first version to be presented for collecting user feedback. It can also have the slang meaning of an unofficial leader or a dominant individual, coming from the theoretical hierarchy observed in wolves and pack animals.
What does NFA mean?
In crypto or traditional trading, NFA stands for “not financial advice”, meaning the author of the content does not aim to provide qualified advice and declines all responsibility for their audience’s decisions.
What is the meaning of WAGMI in crypto?
WAGMI stands for “We Are Going to Make It”, an encouraging call to the in-group of crypto enthusiasts referring to the changing digital economy and the promise of success for getting into it early. The opposite slang term is NGMI, “not going to make it”, used against the opponents implying they are going to be left behind.
What does LFG stand for?
If you come across an acronym LFG in crypto, most likely, its meaning is “let’s f*cking go”. It relative opposite in the slang is FML, which stands for “f*ck my life”.
What does FOMO stand for in texting?
What does FOMO mean in text slang? The abbreviation stands for “fear of missing out”. What does FOMO mean in texting, though? It can refer to a feeling that motivates you to act without thinking and commit money, time or other resources to an opportunity you think you might lose.
What does NFT stand for in slang?
Outside of crypto slang and vocabulary, the meaning of NFTs might not be “non-fungible tokens”. As an abbreviation, its meaning might be different in other contexts and slang. In a text message or a post, NFT can stand for “no further text”, meaning the same as “see topic” or “message empty”. If you’re wondering what’s an NFT in online gaming slang, it can stand for “not for trade”.
