Memecoin & DEX Trading Glossary: 50+ Terms Explained Simply
From ape and bonding curve to wash trading and whale: plain-English definitions of 50+ terms every memecoin and DEX trader runs into.
TRENCHSCORE RESEARCH··4 MIN READ
Memecoin trading has its own language. Here are the terms you'll see most on screeners, in Telegram groups and on TrenchScore — each explained in a sentence or two, with links to deeper guides.
//A–C
- AMM (automated market maker): a DEX pool that prices trades with a formula instead of an order book. See why liquidity matters.
- Ape: to buy quickly, usually without much research.
- Approval: permission for a contract to move a token from your wallet. See wallet drainers and approvals.
- ATH: all-time high price.
- Bag: your holding in a token. "Bag holder" means someone stuck with a token that fell.
- Blacklist: a contract function that blocks specific wallets from transferring — common in honeypots.
- Bonding curve: a launchpad formula that prices a token by how much has been bought. See Pump.fun bonding curves.
- Boost: paid DEX Screener visibility that multiplies a token's trending score for a period. See DEX paid, boosts and ads.
- Bubblemap: a chart of top holders that links connected wallets. See how to read a bubblemap.
- Bundle: several wallets buying in the same block at launch, often one operator. See bundles, snipers and insiders.
- Burn: sending tokens or LP tokens to an address nobody controls, removing them permanently.
- CA: contract address — the only real identifier of a token.
- Cluster: a group of wallets linked on-chain and likely controlled by one entity.
- CTO (community takeover): holders taking over a token's socials and promotion after the dev leaves.
//D–H
- DEX: decentralised exchange, where tokens trade from on-chain pools.
- DEX paid: the team paid for Enhanced Token Info on DEX Screener. Not an audit.
- Dev: the token's creator or team.
- DYOR: do your own research. Start with the due diligence checklist.
- FDV (fully diluted valuation): price × total supply. See market cap vs FDV.
- FOMO: fear of missing out — the feeling scams are designed to trigger.
- Freeze authority: a Solana permission to freeze holders' token accounts. See mint and freeze authority.
- Graduation: a launchpad token completing its bonding curve and moving to a DEX pool.
- Hard rug: liquidity pulled in one transaction. See how to spot a rug pull.
- Honeypot: a token you can buy but not sell.
//I–M
- Insider: a wallet connected to the team or early allocation, often hidden across many addresses.
- Jeet: slang for a holder who sells quickly at small profits or losses.
- Liquidity: the value in the trading pool — what you can actually sell into.
- Liquidity lock: LP tokens held in a locker contract until a date. See liquidity locks vs LP burns.
- LP tokens: the receipt for providing liquidity; whoever holds them can withdraw the pool.
- Market cap: price × circulating supply.
- Mint authority: permission to create new supply.
- Momentum: sustained movement in price, volume and participation. See what is momentum.
//N–R
- New pairs: freshly created trading pools. See the first 24 hours of a new token.
- Permit signature: an off-chain signature that grants a token approval — a favourite drainer trick.
- Permanent delegate: a Token-2022 extension that can move or burn anyone's tokens. See Token-2022 risks.
- Price impact: how much your own trade moves the price.
- Proxy contract: a contract whose code can be upgraded by an admin. See renounced ownership and proxies.
- Pump and dump: hype a token, then sell into the buyers it attracts.
- Renounced: the owner role given up to the zero address.
- Rug pull: the team takes the money and leaves holders with worthless tokens.
//S–Z
- Seed phrase: the words that control your wallet. Never share them.
- Slippage: the difference between quoted and executed price; slippage tolerance is the most you'll accept.
- Sniper: a bot that buys the instant a pool goes live.
- Soft rug: a slow exit — insiders selling into every pump or liquidity drained gradually.
- Tax token: a token that charges a fee on buys or sells. See buy and sell taxes.
- Top holders: the largest wallets by share of supply. See how to read top holders.
- TrenchScore: our 0–100 rating of a token across five pillars. See what is the TrenchScore.
- Trending: a screener's ranking of tokens by recent activity. See how DEX Screener trending works.
- Volume: total value traded over a period.
- Wash trading: trading with yourself to fake volume. See real volume vs wash trading.
- Whale: a wallet holding a large share of supply or capital.
- Wallet drainer: a phishing kit that steals assets through malicious signatures.
//Frequently asked questions
What does CA mean in crypto?+
CA stands for contract address — the unique on-chain address of a token. Names and tickers can be copied; the contract address can't.
What does ape mean in crypto?+
To ape is to buy a token quickly, usually with little research, often because of hype or fear of missing out.
Educational content, not financial advice. Crypto assets are highly risky and most new tokens lose most of their value — always do your own research.