February 28, 2025

memecoin terminology:

General Crypto & Memecoin Terms

  1. Memecoin – A cryptocurrency based on internet memes, jokes, or pop culture with little intrinsic value.
  2. Shitcoin – A low-quality or worthless cryptocurrency, often used to describe memecoins with no utility.
  3. Tokenomics – The economic model of a cryptocurrency, including supply, distribution, and incentives.
  4. Pump and Dump – A manipulation scheme where a coin’s price is artificially inflated before insiders sell off, crashing the price.
  5. Rug Pull – A scam where developers remove liquidity or abandon the project, leaving investors with worthless tokens.
  6. Mooning – When a coin’s price skyrockets (“Going to the moon!”).
  7. Lambo – Short for Lamborghini, symbolizing financial success in crypto. (“When Lambo?”).
  8. HODL – A misspelled "hold," meaning to keep a coin long-term despite volatility.
  9. Diamond Hands – Holding onto crypto despite price swings, indicating strong conviction.
  10. Paper Hands – Selling crypto quickly due to fear or minor price drops, seen as weak behavior.

Whales & Insider Terminology

  1. Whale – An investor holding a massive amount of a cryptocurrency, capable of influencing price movements.
  2. Dolphin – A mid-sized investor, larger than small traders but smaller than whales.
  3. Shrimp – A small-scale investor with minimal holdings.
  4. CTO (Community Takeover) - it is a situation where project creators or developers abandon or exit a project for different reasons and then the community which they have built takes over the administration of the project to continue it.
  5. Insiders – People with non-public knowledge about a coin’s development, often accused of unfair advantages in trading.
  6. Dev Wallet – A wallet controlled by the project’s developers, sometimes used to dump tokens on investors.
  7. VC Dump – When venture capitalists (VCs) sell off large portions of their holdings, crashing the price.
  8. Liquidity Providers (LPs) – Investors or teams providing liquidity to decentralized exchanges for a cut of trading fees.
  9. Market Maker – A trader or firm that provides liquidity and manages price stability, sometimes manipulating prices.
  10. Exit Liquidity – Retail investors who buy into a memecoin too late, providing liquidity for insiders to cash out.

Trading & Speculation Terms

  1. Ape In – Buying a memecoin impulsively without much research.
  2. Degen (Degenerate) – A high-risk trader who bets on speculative memecoins.
  3. Front-Running – When insiders or bots place orders before the public to manipulate prices.
  4. Slippage – The difference between expected and actual trade prices due to volatility.
  5. Liquidity Pool (LP) – A pool of funds used for trading memecoins on decentralized exchanges (DEXs).
  6. Market Cap – The total value of a cryptocurrency (price × circulating supply).
  7. Fully Diluted Valuation (FDV) – The total value of a coin if all tokens were in circulation.
  8. Rekt – Slang for "wrecked," meaning an investor suffered massive losses.
  9. Bagholder – Someone stuck holding a memecoin after its price has collapsed.
  10. FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) – The anxiety of missing potential gains, leading to impulsive buying.
  11. FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) – Negative news or rumors used to create panic and drive prices down.
  12. WAGMI (We’re All Gonna Make It) – Encouragement among investors, meaning success is inevitable.
  13. NGMI (Not Gonna Make It) – Used for bad investments or traders who make poor decisions.
  14. BTD (Buy the Dip) – Buying a cryptocurrency when its price drops, expecting a rebound.
  15. Sell the News – Selling a coin after a major announcement, often leading to a price drop.

Scams & Manipulation

  1. Honey Pot – A smart contract scam that allows investors to deposit but prevents them from withdrawing funds.
  2. Slow Rug – A gradual rug pull where developers drain liquidity over time instead of all at once.
  3. Wallet Drainer – A scam where connecting a wallet to a malicious website results in stolen funds.
  4. Sniping Bot – A bot that buys tokens instantly at launch to get an advantage over retail buyers.
  5. Dumpathon – A massive coordinated sell-off, crashing the price.
  6. Dev Tax – A hidden fee where a percentage of every transaction goes to the developers.
  7. Ghosting – When a project’s developers abandon it and stop all communication.