Degen glossary
39 terms from X, Telegram and the trenches, explained in plain language. Each one comes with what to watch for and guides that go deeper.
A
B
C
- CA (contract address)A CA is a token's contract or mint address: its only real identity on-chain. The name and ticker are not.
- CEXA CEX is a centralized crypto exchange that holds your funds and runs an order book, such as Binance or Kraken.
- Copycat tickerA copycat ticker is a fake of a popular token with the same name and ticker but a different contract address.
- CTO (community takeover)A CTO (community takeover) is when holders adopt an abandoned token after its creator sold or disappeared.
D
- DegenA degen is a trader who knowingly takes very high risk by buying new, unproven tokens.
- DevThe dev is the token's creator and the wallet that deployed it. The whole market watches what it does.
- DEXA DEX is a decentralized exchange where you swap tokens straight from your own wallet, with no account or middleman.
- DYORDYOR (do your own research) is a reminder to check a token yourself before trusting anyone about it.
F
- FDVFDV (fully diluted valuation) is a token's price times its total supply, including tokens not yet in circulation.
- FOMOFOMO (fear of missing out) is the fear of missing a rally, which pushes people to buy without research.
- Freeze authorityFreeze authority is a Solana token permission that can freeze holders' token accounts and block them from selling.
- FUDFUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) is negative news or rumour meant to spread fear and trigger selling.
G
H
K
L
- LaunchpadA launchpad is an app where anyone can create a memecoin with preset rules in minutes, such as pump.fun or Four.meme.
- LiquidityLiquidity is the funds in the pool you trade against on a DEX. It decides what entry costs and whether you can exit.
- LP burn and LP lockLP burn destroys the LP tokens and LP lock freezes them for a time. Both aim to stop anyone pulling liquidity from the pool.
M
- Market capMarket cap (MC) is a token's price times its circulating supply. It is a valuation, not money sitting in the pool.
- MEVMEV (maximal extractable value) is profit taken from the ordering of transactions in a block, often at ordinary traders' expense.
- Mint authorityMint authority is the right to create new tokens. While active, it lets the creator print more supply and sell it.
P
- Paper hands and diamond handsPaper hands sell at the first dip, diamond hands hold through the swings. Both describe emotion, not strategy.
- Price impactPrice impact is the price change caused by your own order. The shallower the pool and the bigger the swap, the higher it is.
- Priority feeA priority fee is an extra fee to get your transaction into a block faster when the network is busy.
- Pump and dumpA pump and dump is a coordinated push of a token's price through promotion, after which the organisers sell into buyers.
R
S
- Sandwich attackA sandwich attack is when a bot buys right before your swap and sells right after it, profiting from your slippage.
- Seed phraseA seed phrase is the 12 or 24 words that restore your wallet. Whoever knows them controls all your funds.
- Self-custodySelf-custody means holding crypto in a wallet where only you have the keys.
- SlippageSlippage is the limit you set on how far the price may move between quote and execution before a swap is cancelled.
- SniperA sniper is a bot or trader that buys a token in the first seconds or blocks after launch, before the rest of the market sees it.