As 2021 nears its end, the firm Harpercollins, the publisher behind the printed and online Collins English Dictionary, has revealed “The Collins Word of the Year.” According to collinsdictionary.com, the word of the year is the abbreviation for non-fungible token, otherwise known as “NFT.”

Collins English Dictionary Word of the Year is NFT

Non-fungible token (NFT) collectibles have obtained a nod from the publishing team behind the Collins English Dictionary. Harpercollins publishes the unabridged Collins English Dictionary. This dictionary was the first to be typeset with the output of a computer database.

Collins likes to award a particular term the Word of the Year Award on an annual basis. This year, the grand champion was the word “NFT”. “NFT” is an abbreviation for “non-fungible token”, which records ownership of digital assets that have entered the mainstream. This has led to millions of dollars spent on most-wanted images and videos,” the blog post from Collins explains. Further, the post adds

It is one of three tech-based words to make Collins’ longer list of ten words of the year, which includes seven words brand new to Collinsdictionary.com.

The Informal Noun ‘Crypto’ and the Proposed Three-Dimensional Virtual Environment the ‘Metaverse’

Other words that were popular in this year’s edition include “metaverse”, “crypto,” and “crypto.” Collins English Dictionary states that “crypto” is an informal term that refers to cryptocurrency, a digital currency that can be used for online transactions .”

Interestingly, in May 2019, the Associated Press (AP) or guidelines from the AP Stylebook, said writers, journalists, and academics should “avoid using the shorthand crypto, which can be confused with cryptography.” The AP suggestion has been largely ignored by mainstream media and dedicated cryptocurrency news publications.

Collinsdictionary.com has been a lot more liberal with editorial submissions and added crowd-sourced neologisms in 2012. Collins also publishes an official Scrabble word list dictionary, and roughly 6,500 words are based on social media terms, slang, and the latest technology.

What do you think about Collinsdictionary.com giving the term NFT the Word of the Year award? Please comment below to let us know your thoughts on this topic.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons, Collinsdictionary.com

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. This article is not intended to be a solicitation or offer to buy or sell any products or services. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. The author and the company are not responsible for any loss or damage resulting from or in connection to the content, goods, or services discussed in this article.

Read More