Hodlers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. People who keep hold of cryptocurrency for a long time rather than selling it during market swings
2. Investors who refuse to sell their digital coins over long periods, even when prices fall sharply
3. Those who stubbornly retain cryptocurrency investments long term instead of trading them away

Etymology: "Hodlers" is the plural of "hodler," a noun for a cryptocurrency investor who holds on to coins for the long term rather than selling during price swings. The noun is built from "hodl" plus the suffix "-er," which marks a person who does something. The base "hodl" is itself a deliberate misspelling of "hold," the verb meaning to keep something in your possession. The story of the base word is the interesting part. "Hodl" first appeared in print in a 2013 forum post on the Bitcoin Talk site, where a user typed "I AM HODLING" in a message about not selling during a sharp price drop. The typo was likely accidental, but the community embraced it as a rallying cry, and it spread through crypto circles as a shorthand for holding firm against volatility. From there the verb turned into a noun, and "hodler" became the name for anyone who adopts that patient, never-sell approach.

Synonyms: holders