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: NFT
The Collins English Dictionary publishing team has approved non-fungible token (NFT), collectibles. The unabridged Collins English Dictionary is published by the company Harpercollins and was the first dictionary that was typeset using a computer database’s output.
On an annual basis, Collins likes to give a specific term the Word of the Year award, and this year the word “NFT” is the grand champion. “‘NFT’, the abbreviation of ‘non-fungible token’, the unique digital identifier that records ownership of a digital asset which has entered the mainstream and seen millions spent on the most sought-after images and videos,” the dictionary firm’s word of the year blog post explains. It also includes:
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 this year include words such as “metaverse” and “crypto.” The meaning of the word metaverse is “a proposed version of the internet comprising of three-dimensional virtual environments.” Collins English Dictionary says that the term “crypto” is an informal noun that is short for the word cryptocurrency, “a digital currency used for online purchases.”
Surprisingly, the Associated Press in May 2019 (AP) 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 published an official Scrabble word listing dictionary. The roughly 6,500 words it contains are based upon social media terms, the latest technology and slang.
What do you think about Collinsdictionary.com giving the term NFT the Word of the Year award? Comment below and let us know how you feel about the subject.
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