The DeFi Dictionary: Your Guide to Decentralized Finance - Kiplinger's Personal Finance - Dictionary

It's no secret that understanding the traditional finance world is challenging. Unfortunately, making sense of decentralized finance (DeFi) is even harder. 

Decentralized finance is a growing collection of financial tools built on top of the blockchain – a digital ledger that lives across a collection of distributed servers. These platforms and protocols allow users to trade cryptocurrency, borrow and lend money, and earn interest, all without a centralized bank or third-party intermediary.

A quick Google search will return research around DeFi's unprecedented financial upside and unthinkable annual yield percentages. Similarly, you'll find even more about hacks, scams and illegitimacy within its ecosystem. Still a largely unregulated gray area, decentralized finance is a mixed bag. That being said, when approached responsibly and cautiously, DeFi can serve as a viable and legitimate financial investment option. 

Regardless of your feelings toward cryptocurrency, one thing is certain: It's gaining quite a foothold. As of May 2022, there were more than $74 billion in crypto assets locked in DeFi. And as DeFi continues to gain broader adoption, there's a lot of education to be done around basic terminology, leading protocols and best practices. 

That's why we've built the DeFi dictionary, a living resource for you to reference as you get acquainted with this new frontier of finance. After reading this document from start to finish, you'll have a high-level overview of the main pillars of decentralized finance. 

Ethereum 

Ethereum is a decentralized blockchain network, widely used for its ability to run smart contracts. Ethereum is the primary blockchain of the DeFi ecosystem. 

Decentralized Application (dApp) 

A decentralized application is a website or application that runs on top of the blockchain. dApps are powered entirely by smart contracts, removing the need for any centralized third party.

Smart Contract 

A smart contract is a blockchain-native computer program that automatically executes once predetermined requirements are met. Smart contracts are the lifeblood of all DeFi applications and protocols.

Ether 

Ether (ETH) is the native currency (or "token") of Ethereum and is used to pay transaction fees across all Ethereum-native decentralized applications. To participate in decentralized finance, you'll need two things: ETH and an Ethereum wallet.

Ethereum Wallet

A wallet is a software application or physical device that allows users to interact with a blockchain. Wallets hold users' currency and data and are interoperable across all decentralized applications. Each wallet comes with its own private and public keys. While we use Ethereum for this example, there are also wallets for other blockchains like Bitcoin and Solana. 

Metamask is the most popular Ethereum wallet and is compatible with all major dApps. 

Private Key

A cryptographic string of numbers that gives users access to their funds and data. Private keys are used to sign and verify blockchain transactions. 

Never, ever give this out to anyone, as it's the quickest way to have your cryptocurrency stolen. You'd never give out your bank account password, so don't give out your private key. 

Public Key 

A public key, or "wallet address," is a string of letters and numbers that allows users to receive cryptocurrency or other tokens to their wallets. The same way someone sends an email to your email address, people send cryptocurrency to your wallet address. 

Gas Fee 

Individuals must pay a transaction fee (gas fee) for every function completed on a blockchain network. Gas fees (which are paid in a blockchain's native currency) are used to compensate miners in exchange for the computational power they use to verify the transaction. 

For example, all Ethereum gas fees are paid in ETH.

Centralized Exchange 

A centralized exchange is a regulated, for-profit entity that safeguards (and sometimes insures) users' crypto funds. Centralized exchanges such as Coinbase (COIN) still facilitate the majority of total cryptocurrency volume, due in part to their smooth onboarding experiences and ease of use. 

Centralized exchanges are custodial, meaning that they hold users' private keys. This enables users to log in with a basic password, instead of needing to keep track of their private keys. 

Decentralized Exchange (DEX)  

A decentralized exchange (DEX) is a peer-to-peer digital cryptocurrency exchange that operates without the approval of a centralized third party or custodian. Instead, all trades and transactions are facilitated by self-executing smart contracts on the blockchain. All transactions are atomic, meaning that Coin A is sent at the same time as Coin B is received. 

DEXs do away with the traditional order book, and thanks to automated market makers, you no longer need a buyer and a seller to trade. 

Automated Market Maker (AMM)  

Automated market makers are underlying protocols that define the price of assets on a decentralized exchange. The backbone of decentralized exchanges, AMMs allow users to trade against liquidity locked into smart contracts called liquidity pools. They also enable anyone to act as a liquidity provider (LP) as long as they meet the predetermined terms of the smart contract. All you need is sufficient liquidity in the liquidity pool and an AMM smart contract to make the market for you. 

Uniswap is the most popular automated market maker, with more than $42 billion of trading volume in April 2022 alone. 

Liquidity Pool  

A liquidity pool is a dual-asset market that's created when liquidity providers lock an equal amount of two tokens into a smart contract. From there, buyers and sellers can trade directly against this liquidity without waiting for an order to be matched. 

Liquidity Providers (LPs)

Liquidity providers supply the critical funding to the liquidity pools that power the DEX. To be an LP of a dual-asset liquidity pool, you must supply an equal value of both assets. 

Let's say you're entering a Bitcoin/ETH trading pool and Bitcoin is at $20,000 and ETH is at $2,000. To be an LP in this pool, you must lock up 1 Bitcoin and 10 ETH. 

In exchange for locking assets up in a liquidity pool, LPs earn a small percentage of each transaction. The total commission is proportionate to a liquidity provider's contribution relative to the entire liquidity pool. In addition, liquidity providers also receive LP tokens – a separate token representative of one's ownership stake relative to the entire pool. These tokens are exchangeable and transferable in their own right, and can be staked within the DeFi ecosystem to earn further yield. 

Providing liquidity (or liquidity mining) is a great way to earn passive income on your tokens, although LPs must always be aware of impermanent loss. 

Impermanent Loss 

Impermanent loss is when the value of holding a cryptocurrency in your wallet is greater than that of being a dual-asset liquidity provider. Depending on how the price of an asset fares over time, you might be better off holding the asset outright instead of using it to provide liquidity to a liquidity pool. While impermanent loss is possible with any dual-asset liquidity pool, it's most likely when dealing with highly volatile assets. 

Slippage 

Slippage is the difference between the executed price and the initial trading price. This is particularly relevant in DeFi, where volatility in asset price and liquidity of trading pools is fairly common. When trading on decentralized exchanges, always look out for slippage and try to avoid market orders wherever possible. 

Decentralized Lending 

Decentralized lending is an alternative to traditional lending that uses smart contracts and blockchain technology to automate the process of providing credit. On platforms such as Compound and Aave, users can borrow and lend cryptocurrencies anonymously without the need for third-party credit approval. 

Smart contracts record all lending transactions and automate the collection of interest on all loans. Decentralized lending is another great way to earn passive income on your crypto. 

Staking

Staking is the process of locking up cryptocurrency to help secure and maintain the integrity of the blockchain through proof-of-stake consensus. In return, stakers are rewarded with a portion of the block reward generated by the network. "Yield farmers" are able to earn a passive income by staking their coins or LP tokens in liquidity protocols such as Aave and Curve. NFTs also can be staked to earn DeFi yield. 

Yield Farming

Yield farming is the process of using various DeFi platforms and protocols to chase the best returns. It involves continuous lending, borrowing, staking of cryptocurrency to earn interest, and then reinvesting this interest in new pools to earn even more interest. Yield farming is a very-high-risk, very-high-reward game. 

Stablecoins 

Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies that are pegged to the value of government-backed currencies, such as the U.S. dollar. While most crypto assets are highly volatile, stablecoins are used to protect against these fluctuations. While the most popular stablecoins, such as USDC, are backed by U.S. dollar cash reserves, other stablecoins are backed by algorithms or other cryptocurrencies. 

Relative to Bitcoin and Ethereum, fiat-backed stablecoins like USDC and Tether are a lower-risk way to explore the benefits of DeFi. To date, stablecoins have mostly held strong. But with the recent crash of Terra, many question whether they will be able to hold their peg over time.

By now, you should have a strong understanding of the DeFi basics. But I want to take a moment to reiterate one important note: These topics are very complex, with many proposing high levels of risk. Always do your own research before approaching any investment, and don't get caught up in the FOMO. 

We plan on updating this dictionary regularly as the world of DeFi rapidly evolves.

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New Aussie foods headed for dictionary - news.com.au - Dictionary

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New Aussie foods headed for dictionary  news.com.au

Magical dictionaries, family, and the magic of a girl named Zia - WSKG.org - Dictionary

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COMMENTARY: Beware the elastic dictionary - Coeur d'Alene Press - Dictionary

George Orwell’s "1984" popularized the idea that if you can control language you can control thought, and if you control thought you control action. One cannot start a revolution if there are no words to describe a revolution.

Beyond "1984", words are being stretched and their meanings twisted to serve various social and political agendas. The classic children’s rhyme “ … but words can never hurt me,” has been abandoned and now words are violence and if you say the wrong word you can be shamed or even arrested. Adding to the problem is that the meanings of words are not fixed.

You may say that we have dictionaries for defining the meanings of words. Is that what dictionaries do? Or do they just list most of the possible meanings of a word.

If you are looking for the exact meaning of a word, good luck. Simple words like “run,” “set,” “go,” “take,” “stand,” “get” and “turn” each have hundreds of meanings. It is a wonder language works at all.

The keys to being able to communicate accurately are context and punctuation. Combinations of words supply the context that limits the potential meanings to the desired one. Punctuation bounds the word clusters and adds emphasis. Removing a simple comma changes an invitation to a happy dinner “Let’s eat, Grandma!” into a call for cannibalism, “Let’s eat Grandma!”

Even if you carefully assemble words to convey an idea there is no guarantee that what you intend to imply is what is inferred by the reader. In the age of Cancel Culture and Twitter, misinterpreting what was written has become the Sport of Trolls, a game where words are twisted out of context, amplified, and portrayed as a crime against humanity. This is the internet equivalent of excrement flinging at the primate exhibit.

Not satisfied with simply taking words out of context, some writers add meaning to the word itself. This addition takes advantage of the natural phenomenon where changes in culture and technology add to the evolution of language and dictionaries are periodically updated to reflect these new words and meanings.

If you can popularize your own added meaning then the dictionaries will eventually codify the change. If that new meaning evokes a powerful feeling or emotion then all the words' meanings are tainted.

An example came to us in the June 29 editorial that pronounced “Nationalism is a growing American cancer.” Cancer? Nobody wants cancer. The writer went on to cite the authority of the Oxford dictionary “Nationalism is identification with one’s own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.”

When I read “especially to the exclusion or detriment” it occurred to me that this part was new. Consulting a pre-1984 version of the Oxford dictionary I found the old definition for Nationalism: n. patriotic feeling; policy of national independence.

I also looked up Patriotism: n. loyally supporting one’s country. So the classical definition of nationalism is the desire to have a country and patriotism is the willingness to support that country.

The writer also created new definitions; “patriotism is the desire to change your country's course when you think it's headed the wrong way,” “Nationalists believe their nation is never wrong and thus is justified in any action it takes.” What? Not even the online dictionary supports these definitions, so this is new territory.

What kind of a person promotes the belief wanting national independence is a cancer and that it is patriotic to want to change your country? I can think of one, a globalist.

A globalist seeks to strip away the protections afforded by a national union and would try to convince you that patriotism is “change,” including the dissolution of national borders and the subjugation of the citizens.

Our founder’s yearnings of nationalism created this nation and gave birth to American Exceptionalism. Quoting President Lincoln, “Our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” Our founders were, by definition, nationalists.

Is this nationalism “sinister," “infantile" and “self-deception” as the writer claims? Do these adjectives apply to recognized Native American nationalism? No to both.

I am proud of my nation, the United States of America, one nation under God, indivisible. This makes me an American Nationalist.

Do not let the Orwellian wordsmiths deny you the words to think and express your true beliefs.

It’s just common sense.

• • •

Brent Regan is a Kootenai County active citizen.

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'Cringe factor,' 'vaxxer' among 'funny' words newly added to Oxford Dictionary - Philstar.com - Dictionary

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'Cringe factor,' 'vaxxer' among 'funny' words newly added to Oxford Dictionary  Philstar.com

'Cringe factor,' 'vaxxer' among 'funny' words newly added to Oxford Dictionary - Philstar.com - Dictionary

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'Cringe factor,' 'vaxxer' among 'funny' words newly added to Oxford Dictionary  Philstar.com

The funniest words added into the Oxford dictionary in 2022 - so how many have YOU heard of? - Daily Mail - Dictionary

These are the 15 funniest and most bizarre words added into the Oxford dictionary in 2022 - so how many have YOU heard of?

• A list of the funniest words added to the Oxford Dictionary have been revealed
• More than 700 new words were added from March to June 2022 
• Terms included 'cringe factor', 'stress bunny' and 'sharenting' 
• The Oxford English Dictionary is updated on a quarterly basis 

By Carina Stathis For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 03:38 BST, 7 July 2022 | Updated: 03:38 BST, 7 July 2022

The funniest new words and phrases added to the Oxford English Dictionary have been revealed - including 'sharenting', 'fluthered' and 'sass-box'. 

As language is constantly evolving, more than 700 new terms were added from March to June 2022 including 'cringe factor', 'stress bunny', 'stress eater' and 'vaccine hesitant'. 

In response to the pandemic, 2021 saw PPE, WFH, long Covid, social distancing and furlough added to the dictionary.  

The funniest words added into the Oxford dictionary in 2022

1. Bully Van

Meaning: A UK police van, distinct in size and colour.

Usage: 'Here comes the bully van.'

2. Cringe Factor

Meaning: An element or aspect of a situation, or event that causes a person to cringe with acute embarrassment or awkwardness.

Usage: 'His dancing has a very high cringe factor.'

3. Drooking

Meaning: A drenching or soaking.

Usage: 'It's raining so hard outside, I'm drooking.'

4. Fluthered

Meaning: Drunk, intoxicated.

Usage: 'He's drunk so much, he's absolutely fluthered.'

5. Gaslighter

Meaning: A person who deceives and psychologically manipulates another into questioning his or her own perceptions or sanity.

Usage: 'Lay off them. You're a gaslighter aren't you?'

6. Langered

Meaning: Very drunk; intoxicated.

Usage: 'She was so langered at the wedding.'

7. Sass-box

Meaning: A sassy person; one who is impudent, impertinent, or cheeky. One who is self-assured, bold, or spirited.

Usage: 'She is such a little sass-box.'

8. Sharenting

Meaning: The action or practice of sharing news, images, or videos of one's children on social media websites.

Usage: 'They are always sharenting.'

9. Sharesies

Meaning: In childish or playful language: the action of sharing something with another or others.

Usage: 'Do you want some? Sharesies.'

10. Soysage

Meaning: A type of vegetarian (now typically vegan) sausage made with soy protein instead of meat.

Usage: 'The café now serves soysage.'

11. Stress Bunny

Meaning: A person who is stressed or has a tendency to become stressed.

Usage: 'My boss is such a stress bunny.'

12. Stress Eater

Meaning: A person who has a tendency to eat unhealthily in response to or as a means of coping with stress.

Usage: 'I am such a stress eater.'

13. Unjabbed

Meaning: A person who has not undergone vaccination; unvaccinated.

Usage: 'They haven't had a vaccine, they're unjabbed.'

14. Vaccine Hesitant

Meaning: Hesitant, reluctant, or refusing to be vaccinated (or to have one's children vaccinated) against an infectious disease or diseases.

Usage: 'He's vaccine hesitant.'

15. Vaxxer

Meaning: A person who performs vaccinations.

Usage: 'She's got a new job as a vaxxer.'

The word 'sharenting' has been in circulation and describes the action of sharing videos, news or photos of their child on social media.

While watching a movie with a group of friends, you might wish to share some popcorn and use the word 'sharesies'.

Cafes and restaurants offering meat-free alternatives have started incorporating the term 'soysage' to describe a type of vegan or vegetarian sausage.

The funny word 'fluthered' simply means drunk and 'langered' means very drunk or intoxicated. 

The term 'cringe factor' has become a popular phrase millennials used to describe an element or situation that causes a person to cringe, while 'stress bunny' refers to someone who is stressed. 

A person who is sassy or impudent might be described as a 'sass-box' while someone who eats unhealthy food during difficult situations might be dubbed a 'stress eater'. 

Covid-related words were also included, such as 'unjabbed' which means unvaccinated and 'vaxxer' meaning a doctor who performs vaccinations. 

The Oxford English Dictionary is updated on a quarterly basis, and the updates make up the third edition. 

Other unique words added include ankle-biter (meaning a child) and Mozart and Liszt (meaning drunk). 

During each update, some existing words are either revised or removed from the dictionary.

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