Merriam-Webster adds metaverse, altcoin, and other words to the dictionary – thus, making room for Web3.
Take Away points
- Merriam-Webster adds metaverse, altcoin, and other words to the dictionary.
- The words were added to accommodate the necessity for change and inclusion
The Words “Metaverse” and “Altcoin” Added
The oldest dictionary publisher in the United States on Sept.9 announced the addition of 370 new words to their dictionary for September 2022. According to Webster, “metaverse” is a persistent virtual environment that allows access to and interoperability of multiple individuals.”
Altcoin was defined as any of the various cryptocurrencies that are regarded as alternatives to established cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin. According to the dictionary, the words were added as the world is growing and changing towards crypto and metaverse.
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“The dictionary chronicles how the language grows and changes, which means new words and definitions must continually be added. When many people use a word in the same way, over a long period of time, that word becomes eligible for inclusion.” He said.
Other Words Added
Words like Meatspace, Virtual signaling, unbanked, underbanked, yeet, pumpkin spice, gift economy, shrink inflation and others were also added to the dictionary.
This is not the first time a dictionary is adding crypto-related words, last year Collins Dictionary added the word Non-fungible tokens(NFTs) and named it “Word of the Year.”
Collins defined NFTs as a unique digital certificate, registered in a blockchain, that is used to record the ownership of an asset such as an artwork or a collectible.
