Merriam-Webster has added 850 new words in its dictionary along with their definitions. Three of these words include cryptocurrency, blockchain and initial coin offering (ICO).
According to the post last updated on Mar. 3, cryptocurrency is:
any form of currency that only exists digitally, that usually has no central issuing or regulating authority but instead uses a decentralized system to record transactions and manage the issuance of new units, and that relies on cryptography to prevent counterfeiting and fraudulent transactions
First Known Use: 1990
Blockchain is defined as:
a digital database containing information (such as records of financial transactions) that can be simultaneously used and shared within a large decentralized, publicly accessible network; also : the technology used to create such a database
First Known Use: 2011
While, ICO is:
the first sale of a cryptocurrency to the public conducted for the purpose of raising funds (as to support a start-up)
— called also ICO
First Known Use: 2014
Reference: https://www.ccn.com/cryptocurrency-is-officially-a-word-in-190-year-old-merriam-webster/